Potosi was once the wealthiest Spanish city in the world due an enourmous resource of silver. The streets were literally paved in it. But the area was mined to the extreme and the silver is now vitually depleted. Potosi is no longer a wealthy city but a very intersting one as it remains a mining town. Another intersting thing about Potosi is that it is the highest city in the world at a height of 4090 metres, and yes, it is cold.
Today we went on a mining tour through the cooperative mines where these days, they mine for other minerals most commonly zinc these days. The conditions in the mines are terrible and often miners will die within 10 years of entering the mines. The safety and health provisions are virtually non-existent and we encountered alot of asbestos inside. The potenetial earnings though for miners is double the minimum Bolivian wage and so men continue to work here although the number has dropped in recent years from 15000 miners to only 4000, and thankfully only about 15 children work here now.
For the tour, they equip you with a hard hat, jacket, pants, gum boots, and a head torch, and you only stay inside for 2 hours. Before entering, you buy presents for the miners inclusing coca leaves, dynamite, alcohol(96%!!) and cigarrettes. And we bought ourselves a face mask to help with that little problem of asbestos. Heading towards the mine shaft, we stopped to blow up some dynamite we bought which for Jeb was the highlight of the day/week/month...?!
Inside the mines, we scrambled through dark, wet shafts, down rickety ladders, and through tiny fuse-blown tunnels. Crossed paths with workers along the way and gave them our gifts, plus we were introduced to the Devil Tio which their pray to below ground for good luck. Work in the mines is really hard and very dangerous as there are no maps and teams could potentially blow up areas where other miners are working. There are 5 levels of about 25 metres each, so an áccident´would easily be fatally if the respitory problems dont get to you first.
Today we went on a mining tour through the cooperative mines where these days, they mine for other minerals most commonly zinc these days. The conditions in the mines are terrible and often miners will die within 10 years of entering the mines. The safety and health provisions are virtually non-existent and we encountered alot of asbestos inside. The potenetial earnings though for miners is double the minimum Bolivian wage and so men continue to work here although the number has dropped in recent years from 15000 miners to only 4000, and thankfully only about 15 children work here now.
For the tour, they equip you with a hard hat, jacket, pants, gum boots, and a head torch, and you only stay inside for 2 hours. Before entering, you buy presents for the miners inclusing coca leaves, dynamite, alcohol(96%!!) and cigarrettes. And we bought ourselves a face mask to help with that little problem of asbestos. Heading towards the mine shaft, we stopped to blow up some dynamite we bought which for Jeb was the highlight of the day/week/month...?!
Inside the mines, we scrambled through dark, wet shafts, down rickety ladders, and through tiny fuse-blown tunnels. Crossed paths with workers along the way and gave them our gifts, plus we were introduced to the Devil Tio which their pray to below ground for good luck. Work in the mines is really hard and very dangerous as there are no maps and teams could potentially blow up areas where other miners are working. There are 5 levels of about 25 metres each, so an áccident´would easily be fatally if the respitory problems dont get to you first.
Very intersting experience, glad to have seen what this town is really about. But now, our lungs need some cleaning as there is alot of pollution from diesel buses and trucks here too, and so we are off tommorrow for Sucre about 2-3 hours north east of here.
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