3 – 4 Jan 2012 – Potosi, Bolivia – Kings of Convenience, Riot on an empty street
The night before we headed to the city of Potosi, we were shocked to watch documentary about what is Potosi. It’s called The Devils Miner. The main character is a 14 year old boy who was forced to work in the mines with his brother aged 10 (him being the boss because he was older) after the loss of their father. Each day they risked life to bring out what little mineral ore they could, with dust clogging the lungs, the sounds of drilling ruining the ears and unannounced dynamite explosions commonplace. Their meagre protection included a hardhat, a bag of coca leaves and a devil known as Tio that they worship to keep them safe. It was a very interesting documentary. These boys had no options, it was either work the mines or become a street bums.
The mountain that stands behind Potosi city is known as “Cerro Rico”, rich mountain in english and mining has been happening here for just short of 500 years. Once discovered by the Spanish, the city turned prosperous quickly and even became more populous than London and Paris. The slaves mined the silver ore at an amazing rate, and rumour has it that in the 200 years after 1546 when the city was founded, 45,000 tonnes were taken! The silver ore was smeltered in the city using molten mercury (which later turned out to be killing people) and minted into coins to be shipped back to the empire.
So many people died inside the mountain it was nicknamed “The mountain that eats men”. It is rumoured that as many as 8 million perished while working/slaving here, an absolutely preposterous number. A few interesting tactics where used to get the slaves to work. Initially they didn’t take to the conditions well, and so the Spanish church decided to change its attitude towards the coca leaf. They thought that if the slaves worked for longer with less fatigue, it must be a great thing. And so coca became legal and the slaves were encouraged to chew on it. Yet, even with the coca they were ungodly in Spanish eyes and wanted time to worship their African gods.
The Spanish tried to convert them to Christianity with little success. The slave miners just couldn’t believe an “all loving god” could exist considering their predicament working in the pits of hell. And so the Spanish knowing the Africans were rather superstitious, invented a devil figure to scare the slaves into working long hours. This worked extremely well. The devil known as “Tio” lives in the belly of the mountain, and each day the miners come and worship him to keep him happy, because we all know what happens if the devil isn’t happy.
It is amazing that this more or less still happens today under different guises. Coca is still legal, the miners will not enter the mines without a bag and they still ask Tio to be happy and not kill them each day. Also even though they are no longer called slaves, they are forced into such jobs due to family needs and no other options. The miners work themselves to death. The average life expectancy is less than 40 years.
Although Sara and I didn’t enter the mines, you can read about an adventure here or watch the movie, you’ll need subtitles.
Sites around Potosi
The city of Potosi is quite pretty, the old buildings are from a grand age when silver literally lined the streets. Nowadays most are run down, but you could still picture the heyday, with Spanish aristocrats in top hats, tails and automobiles.
Some nice street art picturing the miners in a black hole.
 We had a delicious and cheap typical at this restaurant with a red door, delicious peanut soup, just 2 blocks down the hill on Chuquiasaca from La Casona |  This is the mint where silver is turned into coins. It is definitely worth a visit, they still have the ancient wooden minting machines that were turned by slaves. |
 A polluted river just out of town…a very common site. The water from the river is also used for growing food, all contributing to a cycle of health problems. |  Here some miners are protesting about a worker who was killed in the mines and the inquiry was hushed up. |
Just out of town, we did find a nice spot for an afternoon excursion. A crater lake at a constant 22deg centigrade. Worth the visit if you can find it.
Laters.x.brad.
