Potosi - the mountain that eats men

"We eat the mines and the mines eat us" - Bolivian miner I spoke to.

Mining has defined Potosi (at 13,420 ft, the worlds highest city) for almost five centuries, and it has come at a heavy price. In the 1500's a small group of local Indians leaked the secret of the vast veins of silver in Cerro Rico, the "rich mountain" that towers over Potosi, and the dreaded Spanish implemented a system of forced Indian labour to dig out the treasure. Between 1545 and 1824, around 8 million Indian and African Slaves died in the process of producing 45,000 tons of silver for the Spanish Empire - as a result Cerro Rocco has earned the nickname 'The mountain that eats men'.

These days thousands of the Indians' Minero descendants (and often their children - today 800 kids work the mines) still travel deep into the mountain around the clock, bringing ore to the surface for processing in the nearby plants - its absolutely tragic. Due to dreadful worker conditions the miners still have a short life expectancy with most of them contracting silicosis and dying around 35 - 40 years of age - the miners know this and many of the men I met were within a year of dieing - they do it because they have to eat and provide for their family.

I travelled to Cerro Rocco, and as part of a group, walked, crawled and climbed through the tunnels - it goes without saying, but it was pitch black, incredibly dark and almost impossible to breathe - the dust was awful, and it was truly claustrophobic.

It's customary to bring gifts to the miners - cocoa leaves (every miner has a constant cheek full of leaves - like a hampster - to relieve exhaustion), cigarettes, snacks or drinks, including el puro, the 96 percent alcoholic drink. The miner swill always leave some of the gifts for the 'Tio', the devilish God represented by a statue in each of the mines.

The Tio is a fascinating and fundamental part of the miners existence - the history is that the Indians revolted against the Spanish, the Spanish - knowing that the locals were extremely religious, and had many gods - built a large statue, naming it Tio (rather than Dio - the latin word for God - as the letter 'D' didn't exist in the local dialect) and threatened the Indians that this new Devil God would kill them all, and their mountain, if they didn't work - the belief is so strong,so fundemental, that the miners offer regular sacrifices to the 'spirit of the hills' so that 'he' will continue to provide metal and spare their lives.

Seeing Iguazu, Manaus and Machu Picchu has been amazing - they're iconic and beautiful. But for me Potosi has been a real eye opener, a moment that has made me reflect on the bigger picture beyond the beaches and waterfalls - I guess the point of travelling is to experience different cultures and to see how others live. To understand the world a little better - Potosi has been an extraordinary experience for me.

So I move on from the 'rich hill' and after 2 weeks of being ill - horrible fever in Potosi - I look forward to travelling in good health. Next stop the stunning salt planes of Uyini.