CERRO RICO MINES

What you will see here is not an animation for tourists. The miners accept visitors, with the resulting profits for the travel agencies, because they want to make their living conditions known and to help people understand some of the mechanisms that run the country's economy. Their work in the depths of the socavones, the mine shafts, is accompanied by suffering of course, but also by dignity, solidarity and tenacity. Values that this end of individualistic history has relegated to the closet of good feelings and political correctness. A few words exchanged with the mineros will be worth more than all the theoretical explanations about economy, capital, underdevelopment or the Revolution.

For almost four centuries, more than 30,000 tons of silver have been extracted from the depths of the Cerro Rico. It was under these conditions that the fabulous wealth of Potosi and the Spanish Empire was created.

The mines of Potosi are today as close to hell as the Spanish chroniclers described them 450 years ago. Bolivia, once the richest country in South America, has been reduced to inventing risky financial mechanisms to try to escape from underdevelopment. But thanks to people with an iron will who work in these mines for the global economic integration of the country, Rome, Paris or London, although far from Potosi, are finally closer than it seems. This is the interest of this visit, whose purpose is not voyeurism, but rather the recognition of the role of the miners and the Cerro Rico in history.

We will not describe the visit itself. Except for one detail: at the bottom of the mine you will meet the Tío, the tutelary god of the bowels of the mountains and master of the depths. Remember La Diablada? Here, the devil expects you to make an offering. It will be the moment to give him the few cigarettes and coca leaves that you have bought beforehand. As far as the miners are concerned, it is important to know that their workdays last 10 hours and that they work 6 days a week. If they discover a vein, they will receive the equivalent of 150 € per month. A pittance! The cooperative system, which followed the denationalization of the state mines, is in fact quite perverse. It forces the miners to become their own entrepreneurs by buying the materials to work themselves. Once the cost of dynamite, ammonium nitrate, coca leaves and hammers is subtracted, the gross margin is very low. So why are we miners? Some are miners out of pride and tradition, of course. But most of them prefer to stay here rather than go to plant coca in the Chapare valleys. Contrary to certain received ideas, one becomes a miner not to die. It's as simple as that... The miners of the silver mountain will have revealed to you an aspect of existence that is worth a Potosi. You too can give them something. Starting with a smile, but also leaving them some coke, notebooks and pens for the llockallas (kids) or a sweater to fight the cold.

Tips for visiting the mines.

Dress in light, durable clothing. It will probably be cold at the beginning of the tour, but as you descend into the bowels of the mountain, the heat will increase and so will the humidity. The agencies will lend you a lamp, a helmet, rubber boots and a work suit. It is preferable to wear a surgical mask to protect yourself from dust, smoke and harmful gases (including arsenic). We also recommend that you bring a plastic bag to protect your camera. Beware of the acetylene lamp: it can burn you or your neighbor. Also beware of the ore tanks that come out of the mine at full speed.

Don't forget to buy gifts for the miners: coca leaves and catalyst(lejia), alcohol, cigarettes, cold drinks or dynamite (yes, yes). Ask their permission before taking a picture. Try to choose a tourist agency that will charge a little more than its competitors. While this may be counter-intuitive, it is a meaningful way to support a miners' cooperative in a more dignified and respectable way. Make sure that the fee includes a donation to the cooperative being visited, refreshments for the workers and offerings.

The visit is not recommended for people who are claustrophobic or in poor physical condition. It is essential to be well acclimatized to the altitude. You will have to squat and sometimes walk on all fours. The toilets are rather rare in the area. If you do not intend to go down into the mines, you can always reach the top of Cerro Rico. Several viewpoints will allow you to admire Potosi and its surroundings: to the south the Nuevo Mundo volcano and the Tahua Nuñu complex, and to the east the Kari Kari hills. You will pass the entrances of several mines which will give you an overview of the site.