Potosi and the Silver Mines of Dynamite

I think everywhere we visit, I always find myself saying ¨Man do I wish we had more time!¨ I think I could spend six years in south America and still be adding more things to my to-do list.

And before I go any further, let me say also that Bolivians love their meat! A big slice of beef or llama accompanied with a fried egg or two and of course paps fritas is certainly the norm (including breakfast). And you know this guy isn´t complaining becuase it is dirt cheap to enjoy the delicious local dishes.

Ok with that said, let´s talk Potosi....

This wasn´t a destination on our original itinerary but since we were in the area we thought it would be good to see the world´s highest city. And indeed it was a very unique, jolting place with young and modern mixing with old and traditional. And you know a city has a lot of money when they are selling Playstation 2s in the local market, have law firms and dentists galore and in five square blocks have 3 movie theaters, that I counted. All in all, this place was unlike any other city we have been in and certainly the friendliest.

The highlight of our stay, and certainly on the top three things to do if you are in Bolivia, was the tour of the silver mines in the rainbow colored mountain of Cerro Rico. These cooperative mines have been in full effect since 1545 and have made the town what it is today. And let me just say this...they are not museums or catered to tourists, but in fact fully functional and operating mines, you a mere spectator. The miners rely on traditional llama sacrifices (literally blood dripping from the entrances) and gifts to the mineral god ¨Tio¨ (coca leaves and alcohol) for utmost protection and safety while working in the mines. They go everyday solely by choice and if you can make it underground for the entire 2 hours of the tour, it is truly an unforgettable experience.

The mountain of Cerro Rico where all the mining takes place.

We signed up with Koala Tours through our Hostel ¨Koala Den¨(and I recommend both this hostel and tour company to anyone going to Potosi for the first time), were dressed in black boots, trousers, jackets, hard hats and head lamps and headed to the Miner´s Market. Here we were able to buy the miners gifts that included soda, coca leaves, cigarettes and dynamite. And you know I bought all the dynamite I could for 20 Bolivianos, which included TNT that smelled like wasabi and the another pouch made of small balls of nitroglycerine and gasoline, and of course the 150-second fuse. BOOM!!! Liora bought coca leaves and a 2 liter bottle green apple soda called ¨Simba¨that was promised to be popular among the miners.

Buying dynamite from the miner's market in Potosi.

Our first stop of the tour was in the refineries to see how the minerals are processed and sold. Although the raw silver in the mountain is nearly depleated, there are still plenty of minerals that are mined and exported to countries around the world. Private companies own the refineries and the miners sell them the minerals from the mountain. They used the ¨flotation system¨that mixed crushed minerals with specific chemicals to separate them from the waste. Being a miner seemed like a pretty reasonable way to make a living, or so I thought...

We entered the mines through one of 100 entrances. More than 4,000 miners currently work in the mines, 8 to 10 hours a day, six days a week. And it is back breaking work (remember we are in the highest city in the world at 4,100 meters or about 13,450 feet with paper-thin air) and there is little room to move or even breathe in the shafts and the air is filled with silica dust and asbestos. Sounds like fun eh? I´m glad I was only visiting.

We descended into the mines nearly 2 kms. Miners were excavating minerals and pushing overflowing trollies out via the narrow railroad tracks we were walking on. We had to step aside, watch for falling rocks and be careful not to be crushed by rapid moving wheelbarrows (did I mention we signed a form before we left detailing that deaths do occur and in no way could we blame the company if something happened?). Our group, named ¨Sexy Dynamite¨, started with six members and after 30 minutes had passed, only three remained. Liora made it about 500 meters in, just past the ¨miners museum¨ and the statue of ¨Tio¨ before she had to turn back. It was narrow, dusty, pitch-black dark (except for the beam of our headlamps) and at one point I was crawling on my hands and knees through tunnels fit for a small kid. Certainly these are not for those who are claustrophobic or afraid of small spaces. But once we made it down to the third level, we met a family of miners in a secluded cavern (one who was 13 and it was his very first day in the mines), gave them our gifts and were able to talk mining. Don Luis, the head of the family, has been working in the mines for 38 years, and never before have I seen a man of his age at such peace sitting on top of gravel chewing coca leaves like he has no other care in the world. As his sons did the hard work, he told his stories and I even tried my hand at lifting a few shovel fulls of gravel into the trolly myself. Phew! It was a life changing experience and I am glad I could make it through the entire tour. I don´t think I´ve ever done anything quite this crazy in my entire life.

Sitting with the miners on the the third level as they fill the carts with mineral.

Once exiting the mine, my world seemed to hold an extra touch of color and sunlight never felt so good. We lit the dynamite we bought earlier, held it in our hands as the fuse burned and then threw it down the side of the mountain to watch it explode. Quite the day we had, and with ex-miners as guides, we should have figured it was going to be a very realistic and mind bending experience. They were sure to tell us of the accidents after we got finished with the tour, and thankfully, no tourist has ever been injured while visiting the mines.

Holding the dynamite as the fuse burned. I don't think you could get away with doing this in any other country.

Adrenaline pumping and mind racing, we caught the next bus to Uyuni, our stopover point to the famous salt flats. Tomorrow we will begin our three day excursion over the dried up lakes, lagoons, geysers and of course flamingo hangout spots and end in the town of San Pedro de Atacama in Chile on Wednesday.

Until then, see the documentary titled ¨The Devil´s Miner¨ (2005). This should clarify some of the horrors of the silver mines we visited, and extend some of the reality that these miners face everyday.

Ciao!