We started the day with a walking tour of the city (Potosi really isn’t very big). As per usual it was a guide with poor English taking a long time to explain things that were of little interest. Unfortunately being only 5 in the group you can’t really slink off out the back. At least it was short. It’s a long weekend here, so many things were closed.
The highlight of the day was a trip into the silver mine in the hill that dominates Potosi. It’s been worked since the Spanish arrived and in the 300 years over 8 million people have died because of it. Normally silicosis of the lungs, but also just accidents and overwork. Having been picked up in an old Daewoo van which really struggled to make it up the hills with a full load on board we stopped at the miners market. It’s expected that visitors buy something to give to the workers they meet when they cross paths. Our offering was a bag of coca leaves, some 96% alcohol (mainly for offering to the mines protective spirit Tata Kaj’chu), a bottle of coca cola and some high explosives. I kid you not, a stick of dynamite, a 4 minute fuse with detonator and a bag of ammonium nitrate all for 15 Bolivianos (AUD$2).
After that we put on some overclothes, a helmet and a pair of gum boots and headed mine ward.
The top layer of the mine was damp and cool with a stop to offer some coca, “Bolivian whisky” and a fag to Tata Kaj’chu.
After a quick look around the upper passages some folk then went back out, but I and another chap went down a couple of layers via some steep slopes and ropes. After a crawl through some tunnels and another offering, we came upon another tour group and the two guides decided it was a good idea to detonate some explosives. I didn’t, even though I knew it was just exploding in air. They were detonated anyway and made an impressive percussion wave. After a scramble back up to the top level it was good to be back in fresh air. I don’t think I’ll be signing up for a job just yet. The life span is still horrifically low and working conditions appalling. It was very cool though.
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