The mountain that eats men

 
Potosi, Bolivia…the highest city in the world, at a staggering 4100m above sea level. Like us you’d probably never heard of strange old Potosi, but at one time it used to be one of the richest cities in the world, making even London look a bit shabby. So how is it a city higher than the clouds, in central Bolivia become so rich? It’s all thanks to the mighty Cerro de Potosí, a mountain made of silver.

Since the 16th Century mines have been penetrating deep into the silver veins of the mountain, extracting thousands of tonnes of silver to be exported all around the world. This intensive mining has come at a price. More than 8 million men have been swallowed up by this mountain, making this THE most dangerous mine in the world!

In 1985 official mining ceased, but unlike in old Blighty, the miners continued to work under newly formed cooperatives, mining in groups of 10 or so, and each with their own entrances and tunnels into the mines.
In Potosi, a visit to the mines is absolutely essential.

Our guide into the mine was Choco (Loco), who is an explosives miner who still works within his cooperative. Our group left from Hostel Amigo in the morning, after donning our mining gear we sped off in the direction of the infamous mountain. 

Before entering the mine we stopped off at the local market to pick up some supplies for the miners. The normal purchases for the miners include three things. Firstly Coca leaves (to be chewed throughout the mining day, which helps the workers keep going in difficult oxygen levels and without eating) Alcohol of the 96% variety (to be drunk throughout the mining day) and a healthy mix of dynamite, each sold for £1.50! Absolute bargain!

We went into the mine on Saturday, so this meant that almost all the 16,000 miners were off work, giving the mine a strangely quiet feel (and infinitely safer!). The mountain itself has been stripped of vegetation and heavily perforated with mining holes, giving it the appearance of an enormous Swiss cheese! We headed to one of the many cheese holes that Choco’s cooperative use on a daily basis. From the outside it didn’t give much away about what lurked inside, bar a few Indiana Jones crates siting still on the track and compressed air tubes leading in…

Into the mine

We ducked and squeezed our way down the main shaft, to around 300m into the mountain. Thankfully we were the only ones in the tunnel, but on a normal day it would be packed with miners, speeding crates and the dust of explosions in the depths of the mines. We noticed that the roof of the tunnel had yellow and orange stalactites hanging off it, which we were promptly handed – and then informed was arsenic, a by product of the dynamite explosions. Yikes!

Choco led us to a part of the mine where he was going to use the dynamite we were carrying within a pre-drilled hole. He proved to us that the dynamite stick itself is not dangerous to throw around or even set fire to (you should have seen our faces!). Instead he told us that the nitro-glycerine detonator is the component that the miners respect. To Sarah's dismay she was the glamorous assistant inserting the fuse into the dynamite. Once charged and lit, Choco RAN out of sight with the dynamite, returning to us in darkness for one of the most tense two minutes of my life, counting…115 – 116 – 117 – 118 – 119…first the wind and dust hit us in the faces then the BOOM, which came from all around us in the mountain, and from inside our chests. Sarah wasn’t the only one who made a squeak!

Miss Dynamite

On the way out of the tunnels we came face to face with the Devil. Or at least the ‘Tio’ of the mine, a intimidating stone sculpture that is both feared and worshipped by the miners. They truly believe it is the Tio who is responsible for the accidents and yields within the mine. An important guy! It is thought that each time a man is eaten by the mine (or shoved down a hole or into a dynamite explosion…), the sacrifice feeds the mountain, which will in turn return silver to the miners. For this reason many offerings are needed, be it coca leaves, alcohol, even llamas. Choco told us that ‘loco’ miners have even been known to cause ‘accidents’ to happen fellow miners as offerings. But everything in the mine is an accident … Potosi is no longer the richest or biggest city in South America or the world, but it sure still pays a high price.

CHRIS