Potosi, Bolivia's Underworld

Potosi is located in the southwest quadrant of Bolivia. Potosi's story is wholly tied to its silver. During the boom years, when the metal must have seemed inexhaustible, it became the largest and wealthiest city in the Americas. The city was founded in 1545 as soon as the ore was discovered, and pretty soon the silver extracted here was bankrolling the Spanish empire. Once the silver more or less dried up, the city went into decline and its citizens slipped into poverty.

The ore is still being extracted, and there are still over 200 hundred mines in operation in Potosi. The only industry in the city is mining.

The City of Potosi has embraced their mining history and have created opportunities for many tours to visit the operating mines.

We had an excellent guide who spoke perfect English and who knew the mines inside and out. His own father died when he was young so he started working in the mines himself to support his mother and younger siblings when he was only 13. Our first stop on the way to the mines was to go to the miner's market where we bought gifts for the miners: coca leaves, coals of peach and salt to place inside the cheek to enhance the coca leaves, soda pop, and small bottles of 96% proof cane sugar alcohol. After our shopping we went to get our mining clothes on: rubber boots, overalls, dust masks, helmets and headlamps.

Levi examining plastic explosives; a gift option for the miners.

Each mine is owned by people or cooperatives. There are no big companis and there is no government intervention or oversight. The mine we visited had 47 co-ops that were owned and operated by different individual people. Silver, tin, zinc and lead were being mined.

With a couple of fellows from Spain and our guide, we trundled through muddy puddles while bent over so as not to hit our heads (only Levi could walk upright). The miners inside were happy to show us what they were doing and we watched them load up rubber buckets made of old tires and hoist them up shafts. They would grin when we would give them our gifts. There was also a small rail line in the mine which basically moved wheelbarrows of rock back and forth.

Chatting with a miner.

Although the mining process was interesting, nothing was as eye opening as the traditions and superstition systems in place. Most of South America is Catholic but the indiginous religious symbols and beliefs were clearly evident underground. As Greg said, "it is Catholic above ground and ancient deity below." (Although there is also some crossover as we have heard that even the Catholic priests here might pour a little wine on the ground for Pachamama prior to pouring it in the goblet for communion.) We came to learn all about Pachamama and Tio. Pachamama (Mother Earth) protects the miners and enables good production so they give sacrifices to her including llamas (there was llama blood at the front of the mine entrance). Tio (the devil or the ruler of the underground) is the owner of the silver and so the miners gave alcohol, coca and cigarettes to him, a full statue within the mine with offerings and gifts all around him. With traditional Andean deities, people believe that there is both good and bad in every god. A real eye opener for us.

Lighting a smoke for Tio.

From a Human Resources perspective, the tour was fascinating. The working conditions, compensation systems, labour standards were completely unlike anything I have seen. The conditions were more abysmal. There is no better way to appreciate the jobs in Canada than to see how other people need to make a living. So, I can confidently say that although it was one of our more memorable experiences, everyone with the exception of Levi (who totally loved it), will likely never feel any desire to enter a mine shaft again.