Potosi mines and dynamite
Trip Start
Sep 23, 2005
1
6
18
Trip End
Jan 25, 2006
Potosi, Bolivia
Monday, December 5, 2005
Ex-miners were doing the tours and one called Efra took our group of eight once he heard we were a few Irish. Seemed to love us. First we headed off and got kitted out in our boiler suits, and then off to the miners market for gifts for the miners. The gifts consisted of soft drinks, coca leaves, dynamite and sulfate nitrate (or something else explosive). We also had a drink of the miners favourite tipple, 96% alcohol. Pretty rough.
There are 8,000 miners working the mountain in 120 different mines. There is no mining company and the miners work in co-operatives for themselves
01 Miners market with dynamite
. We headed off to mine called Caldelaria, where there were approx 200 miners. The mine is at 4,170 meters, and it is hard work just walking around with the lowered levels of oxegen. The mine is over seven levels.We went into the mine and went into the miners museum first. We saw different equipment and statues commemorating different gods the miners have etc. There is no lift in the mine so we walked down a level. The ceilings are low, you have to crouch to walk around. The miners work 10-12 hours changing jobs with each other every day. We saw miners at the face, shoveling ore, wheelbarrowing ore around, wheeling one and two ton trolleys around. We also had a three minute chance at shovelling ourselves. Hard work, at altitude in 25-30 degrees with bad air in the mine.
We handed out our gifts to the miners, some of whom are only 15 years old. The oldest we met was 42. Miners can earn approx $300USD a month compared to teachers, police earning $150USD, but their life expectancy is greatly reduced from destroying their lungs to 45 years old.
We spent abut 3 hours down the mines and were looking to get out by the end. Afterwards the miners showed us how to make bombs out of the dynamite (Osgur got to make one), and got to blow up some bombs in the car park.
We then got a few pics with the miners, fooling around. The miners are good craic and up for a laugh. Our guide (ex-miner) explained they had to be to work in the conditions they did.
