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| Ok, my fourth and last time in the mine tomorrow (glutton
for punishment) and I’m just about ready to talk about my last time,
this mail isn’t as happy and upbeat as the rest, but this is the
gritty reality that is Potosi. This is the city that the
Spanish created, making it magnificent, beautiful, booming, then
taking all they could from the grand mountain still full of silver
and minerals that is Cerro Rico de Potosi. Now what’s left is
a city full of hidden sorrow, drunkards passed out on the street, an
intense feeling of something so deeply ingrained in them that that
mountain, that wealth of treasure, that which provided so much to so
many is in reality a mass killer. I took my first tour in the mines a month after starting working here, we went to three mines at the time, the ex state mine, Pailaviri, and two co-operative mines Forzados and Porvenir. These mines more than anything, although not touristy like some of the mines here, were large, easy to walk and navigate and left me with no real impression other than it wasn’t as bad as anyone had made out… Then we started going back with the old mine we used to go to, Candalaria and my whole outlook changed. From the outset there was a different feeling, I felt unusually nervous and although I was with Pedro had a sense of just wanting to leave, that was when we first entered where its full of air and the tunnels are big. Wary of the carts which were coming at us rapidly we had to wait a while before going any further and from there things just got worse. The dark dingy tunnels narrowed down. We were passing holes the size of a human head that we entrances to small rooms in which the miners worked. Then we began heading down a narrow passage with steps built into the ground. The heat began to get really intense and it was hard to breathe. I had to remember just not to panic but the world at times was spinning. About halfway down we took a break and Pedro filled us in on the situation, how the miners live, how they work and what goes on down here in this inferno. Further down the tunnel got narrower and narrower until we were on hands and knees and the dust that had been making us all cough was getting thicker and denser. At this point it was easy to see how people can freak out on these tours, Pedro is always telling me about people who faint inside the mine and other who panic and have to get out. But we all kept our heads and kept going, all I could think about was the miners that are down here every day for up to 24 hours at a time and in the guides, my boys who are here sometimes twice a day for 3 hours at a time and who don’t even get a chance to eat in between tours. I was getting very emotional at this point. Soon enough we arrived at the 3rd level where the tunnels opened out and the air was a little fresher and easier to breathe. We had been meeting loads of miners along the way, good friends of Pedro’s and were giving out presents regularly and with gusto eager to help these poor souls. Men sweating, wearing trousers only and helmets, cheeks bulging with coca leaves and despite this life, all wore big grins on their grimy, sweat marked faces. We chatted with a few of them naturally all the girls were asked if they were married… Deeper and deeper into the mountain we walked the heat at times unbearable and the conditions beyond appalling. Finally we arrived at a small room where 2 miners were working, one of them was manually removing parts of the wall interior in which later he would insert dynamite to try to extract more minerals. We were invited to try help him work and after two of the guys had a go I jumped in to try my luck. Not easy work in a small room (more like a tomb) with no air, at this altitude, 4350 metres and with heavy tools. They hadn’t eaten since breakfast when they eat about 3 plates but for the rest of the day, coca and nothing else. Exhausted by the effort and appreciating life a million times more, we left them a large bottle of soft drink and moved on. At this point we had to cross an area that slid down a chute from which the minerals were dropped from an adjoining chute above, to cross over we had to try to walk over crushed minerals which were sliding down towards the chute below. To make things easier Pedro suggested we could simply slide down the chute ourselves as we would end up in the same place anyway. So two of the girls went down first and I was next in line when suddenly a load of minerals came down from above narrowly missing the girl who had gone in front of me and blocking off the opening. Luckily she was alright and we made it across safely in the end. Indiana Jones eat your heart out! Upon returning we met up with the other group that had gone with Efrain and they were filthy, they had been in a deep tunnel filled with dust to meet miners making perforations in the walls. A couple of the guys were keen to go but by this point everyone else had had enough and were more than ready to leave, a couple of the girls had been in tears and although it wasn’t for the same reason I have to admit I wasn’t happy being in there any longer. Pedro took a few of the guys to the dusty tunnel and the rest of us slowly and in shocked silence made our way with Efrain towards the exit. Honestly since that time I’ve found it incredibly difficult selling tours knowing that I’m sending my boys and especially Pedro down there sometimes twice a day and hate the thought of that mine, the mines that kill, that massacre, that give but take much bigger sacrifices… Could go on forever about the miners themselves, about their beliefs, the Tio (their god of the mines) the llama sacrifices but its too much, another time… Chao for now kiddies, See you very soon. Thinking of you tons Emma _________________________________________________________________ Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com/ |
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