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Other entries in Potosí

Buying dynamite and worshipping the Devil...

... in the underworld! All pretty normal stuff in Bolivia!

So we finally sorted all our problems with the bikes and even got our new tyres! With my old Michelin tyres binned (or probably resold I think as they were still OK) and our new Dual tyres fitted it was time to leave Cochabamba at last! That´s when Alistair decided that he ate something wrong and was sick all night!

Chatting to the old folk who seems to be employed as a guardian and to open the door (hostals are normally locked, if you want to get in, you ring, someone comes, check out who you are, and then open!) I mentioned to the old guy that Alistair was unwell with his stomach. The old guy asked me few questions and then told me he was a doctor! He then proceeded to write me a prescription for some antibiotics for Alistair, telling me it was recommended as cholera is endemic in Bolivia! (Before anyone get worried it was only a bit of dehli belly, to be expected from time to time in these countries! We are being careful with food but it still can happen sometimes but generally it does not last).

Strange country where a doctor  has to have a 2d job as door keeper! So I went to buy the antibiotics and the woman at the pharmacy gave me for free some vitamins as well for Alistair! Kind people!

We finally managed to leave town the following day and made our way to Oruro. Like any other biggish town, the traffic was manic and solid. With our bikes loaded with the panniers we are almost as wide as a car, but in a very busy narrow street, with nowhere to go with millions of cars ahead of me, some idiot decided he would overtake me! I felt that something was pushing the bike on the right side. When I looked on my left I saw that the bumper of a car was completely jammed under the metal frame that support my panniers. The same frame that was rebuilt in Puno!  I managed not to drop my bike (YES!) and started shouting at the guy in his car. The incident happened in front of 2 cops. One came to help me get off the bike (not easy, the car´s bumper pushing the bike on its side, I had to hold it!). Alistair came to the rescue and managed to unstuck the bike from the car. The car owner then tried to blame me for the incident, but in my fluent spanish I proceed to tell him exactly what I thought of him! The cops took also my side. Maybe he thought it was his chance to get money out of a "gringo"! Fat chance of that! His bumber was completely destroyed! My bike had nothing! Big thanks to the metal worker in Puno!

The following morning we continued our way to Potosi. The town is famous for its silver mines. During the spanish rule it provided Spain with a massive amount of silver. The silver was then processed into coins and sent to Spain. It was mainly  Indians (natives) that were forced to work there. Black slaves where brought in for it but they would die very quickly because of the cold and the altitude (4500m!).

 Incas as far as Ecuador were brought there to work (and die) in the mines. According to what I read between 1 to 3 millions natives died there. It is a big irony that these days, Spain produces the Bolivian coins, but not for free!

Although there is hardly any silver left, the mountain contains a lot of minerals like zinc etc... The mines are these days exploited by  miners grouped in cooperatives. Visiting the mines, still  exploited in almost medieval conditions, is the reason people come to visit Potosi. When you visit the mines (with a guide, it´s a complete labyrinth down there!) you are provided with protective clothing, helmet, acetylen head lamp and boots! You also have to bring presents for the miners you will meet, interview and photograph in this underworld. Gifts must be useful like coca leaves, dynamite, 98% alcohool and others soft drinks.

Coca leaves are important as the miners do not eat all day, due to the amount of dust and dirt that is down there. They chew coca leaves. It gives them stamina and cut the hunger. I guess it also helps them breaking stones all day in a hole! It is a very hard work and for little money. Also they don´t expect to grow old. The constant dust that they breath destroys their lungs.  

Now did I mentioned dynamite? Potosi is the only place in the world where you can buy your grocery and then a bit of dynamite! All legally off course! So we did! Some for gift for the miners, some for us to play a bit! Actually it´s a bit complicated! Let me explain! You buy a tube of dynamite, then you also need the detonator (a small piece of metal containing mercury), plus a cable filled with gun powder, plus a bag of fertiliser. So the way you do it is to connect the cable of gun powder with the detonator, then fix the detonator inside the tube of dynamite, in the middle of the white paste that is the dynamite. Then you put all that in the plastic bag containing the fertiliser. (I believe the fertiliser is the same that what terrorists use, back in the UK!)

Then you get the matches. Make sure the cable is long enough to give you time to run! The explosion is huge, and makes a massive BANG! Good fun! All done in the interest of research off course!

The mines were very impressive. As you go down under, rock climbing from level to level, deeper and deeper into the mountain, you can hear from time to time a big bang from miners using dynamite.  We met some and gave them the presents. We also proceeded with our guide to do the weekly ritual that all miners do. Every Friday they worship "el Tio" (= the Uncle).  Despite most being very catholics, in the underworld, El Tio is actually the Devil. At each level of the mine they have a cave with a big statue of it, with its horns, all painted in red (See photos once we can upload them here!). They do this for protection and luck. So we did like the miners and our guide showed us: we gave him a cigarette, some coca leaves on each shoulder, he holds a bottle where we poured some of the 98% alcohool. We then put some coca leaves on the ground, poured some alcohool on it and lit it. The miners once this is done, drink a tiny bit of the alcohool, in his honour and in the honour of their co-workers presents (we passed on that!) . They will then spend 30 to 45 minutes there to provide company to El Tio, as you would do when you offer a drink to someone! The idea also is that the Devil (or El Tio as they call him), is then filled with energy and mate with the Pachamama (the earth goddess). The result of the union is the veins of silver, zinc and other metals that the miners excavate. The ritual for the Pachamama is the same but can be done anywhere as she is the earth and is everywhere.  The Pachamama is still worshipped all around the andes by the natives, who are 98% christians!  Catholicism here seems to be very mixed up with ancients local rituals and worship.

I guess that 500 years ago Rome would have sent the Inquisition, but these days it´s frown upon to burn people alive so they just assimilate any old religion into christianity in a very strange mixture!

That all for now folks, and don´t forget to pour some alcohool on the ground for El Tio!

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