Everything was decorated with beautiful Christmas lights and the park looked like a fairyland. The small streets have a charm and the town has many historic buildings in good condition.
But we were here to experience an active silver mine. We booked a tour through our hostel we stayed the night before. We got picked up by our tour organizer and led to the agency from where the tour started. To get ready to go into the mines we stopped first at the miners market. There we bought some gifts for the miners. Some juice and some coca leaves. You could also buy special cigarettes, TNT or damn hard alcohol.
We sticked to the juice. Then we got dressed up in rubber boots, an overall, helmet and lamp. As it was very dark, small and dusty, we also took a mask to protect our lungs during the 4hrs in the mines as well.
Our guide had a clear advantage for the mines as she was several heads shorter. To gain the same feeling like the miners I started to fill my mouth with coca leaves. I just wanted to be on the same level as the miners. Then we drove by bus to the mountain Cerro Rico, which is part of the scenery of Potosi. In the night time there are lights illuminated on top of the mountain and you can still see the shape of it. In front of the entrance we saw the work of the week, ready to be picked up, weight and after evaluating the quality, paid to the miners.
We helped the arriving miners to unload their trolley. Each bag was easily 25kg. The carts are pushed by pure manpower through narrow, dark and wet tunnels we were about to experience in a minute.
I am sure in Europe you would have had to sign a pile of wavers before entering into such an environment. No, I revise, you wouldn't be able to enter this at all. It would have been closed by the health and safety department many years ago!
As said, this is an active mine. We didn't see or hear an explosion. Thinking of it we are pretty happy not to, because of all the dust an explosion creates. However, we saw this man in action. As further you get into the shaft (we were 2km into it), as hotter it gets.
Here the miner was pushing the loosened gravel into this 1.5ton cart. 2 or 3 guys would push it then all the way to the exit. There they fill it into storages where it waits for a truck for pick up. But there are also the little places where you have a miner go and pick up one rock after the other one and hammer on it. Then he looks at it and determines the quality of it and puts it into different bags. This is a very slow work. Whilst doing it, they are chewing on their coca leaves. As a little present we gave all the miners we encountered a little present of juice and coca leaves.
I have the utmost respect for the hard and unbearable work these man do, day in and day out. You need to be the age of 14 to start. And you will work until you are sick. Most of the miners worked already under their fathers. Even some girls are in there to help. As they have their own little shaft in which they work and then sell their findings, most of them work 10-14 hrs a day for 6 days a week. On saturdays only in the morning, as they would sell their weeks work, get money and spend their weekend with the families. Probably watching football and drinking some beer. When asked about their families, a statement we heard from one of the miners was: "I'm married at home and single on the street!"
To be protected and be blessed, the miners do offerings to pacha mama (mother earth) and to "tio" (the devils picture).
Coca leaves are offered (and consumed), some pure alcohol on the head, the legs and the penis of the god sprayed, then a bit on the floor and a sip with a joyful sound drunk. A cigaret is lit and put into his mouth. This tradition is to protect the miners and bring good findings and fertility for the family. Once a year there is a big party and they decorate him with colorful strings and banners.
When the mines were found, people lived down here for several months. Many of the slaves brought from Africa left their life's on the way here and down in the mines.
After so much darkness and dust we thought we need some more light and enlightenment. What a better place then a convent? We went to visit the Santa Teresa convent.
This convent was for women. In the past the rule was for rich families that the first daughter got married, the second one got sent into a convent and the third got sent to the military. As a entry gift an amount of 200.000 gold coins or goods of equivalent worth was expected. This explains the huge collection of art, jewelry and objects in this convent. It once was 4 times the size then it is now.
The non's who lived here were not allowed to be seen by anybody of the public. This is why they had a separate room from where they were able to participate in the masses. The family had once a month an our to talk to their daughter. But no visual nor physical contact was allowed. The visitor room had a dark window and spikes on the visitor side. Further, the non's were allowed to talk only an hour a day to communicate all important things with each other. They also used to punish themselves. Many different ways were exhibited in this convent.
The entire tour went on for almost 2 1/2 hrs. We were very impressed with our fantastic tour guide Lydia and the information and things we got presented with. The artwork is amazing and worth a visit. The non's are still producing medicine, bake and sell the products in a little shop.
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