The mines of Potosì

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Originally uploaded by erostkowski.

The week before we left Bolivia, Ryan, Roy, Caitlin and I went on an adventure to Potosi and Sucre in the south (about 12 hours by bus). Potosi isn't really a tourist destination except for the crazy fools who feel like spending many hours in tunnels underground, and yes, we did fall into that category. This is a picture of me in my mining gear ready to descend into the mountain in the backdrop ''Cerro Rico.''
Potosì, although I am pretty sure that you are unfamiliar with it, has many credits to its name. First, it's the highest city in the world, (which was very apparent by the altitude sickness that I encountered.. not pleasant) Second, it used to be not only the largest city in Latin America, but also one of the largest cities in the world in the 1800s, nearly reaching the population of 800,000. Third, the silver extracted from the mines of Potosì funded a sizable chunk of the Industrial Revolution in Europe. They say that using the amount of silver taken from the mines you could build a bridge of silver from South America to Spain and still had silver to carry over on the bridge.

The mines that we entered were built over 400 years ago and the colonial arches are still visible underground. The conditions are virtually the same as they were then: dusty, hot, and miserable. The miners work long hours often beginning before sunrise and ending after sunset. Many enter the mines as young as 13 or 14 and then leave in their mid-thirties, after the mine has taken a toll on their health and they are no longer able to work. Respiratory diseases, as you can imagine, are very common and lead to early deaths among the miners.

The experience itself, of being in the mines, is something I will never forget. At points it was downright scary. We descended with our guide four floors under the earth, meeting miners and giving them gifts of coca leaves (which give them energy and help them to breath) and refrescos. The further down we went, ducking and sliding on our bellies through small passageways, the hotter it became, reaching 45 degrees C (upper 90s F).

I was never happier to see daylight than when we finally reached the mouth of the mine. The craziness was not yet over. Our guide had convinced us to buy some dynamite earlier in the day from the miner's market. Playing with explosives isn't something I normally would support, but for less than $2 in supplies, how could you pass up the opportunity, right? (there is a video of the explosion on Ryan's site is you are interested)