Potosí

I like this photo because the cholita painted on the wall reflects the cholitas selling fresh orange juice on the right.

Writing this from the first weekend in Cochabamba, Potosí seems like a long time ago now! I headed there from Uyuni with Chilean Viviana, where we enjoyed eating fresh mixed salads from the market out of plastic bags sat on the steps of a local square.  

We also went to visit the Potosí mines, which was a thought provoking experience, both before and after.  Before for wondering, is this an ok thing to do, is it somehow unpleasantly voyeuristic? But then thinking as the mines are the basis of the town in terms of current employment and also in terms of the town's history, fame and legend it seemed an important visit to make in order to understand the town and also a part of Bolivia's history.  Cerro Rico (meaning 'Rich Hill') was where the Spanish found silver in 1539 (according to earlier Incan legend 'other man' was destined to mine the silver, not the local folk... a mythical detail I find somehow puzzling).  This seems to have led to waves of wealth and poverty, slavery and exploitation, with the Spanish using local indigenous people and when it turned out they would rather kill themselves than be exploited, bringing in slaves from Africa to do the heavy painful work of extracting the metal.  Apparently there was a point when workers would live underground for four months at a time so that when they came out they had to be blindfolded to protect their eyes against natural light.  

Now, in 2013, the mines are exhausted of silver and mined instead for a compound mixture of lead, tin and copper which the workers, who are now organised in family-based co-operatives, sell to local extraction plants who then sell it on to foreign companies that use it in manufacturing goods which  are then sold back to Bolivia  - our Bolivian guide asked us, when have you ever seen anything "made in Bolivia"?  He reckons in order to profit from their wealth of natural resources Bolivia needs to start manufacturing in-counrty.

In our attempt to be ethical in our visit to the mine Vivi and I went with the company of ex-miners Big Deal Tours, who were funny entertaining and informative.  A group of 6 who began working in the mines as 12 year olds, they formed their tour group about 6 years ago after having worked with foreign tour groups.  Interestingly, although they say mining is a good job, one where miners earn a LOT of money, our guide also said he doesn't want his sons or nephews working in the mines (it is a family business - fathers and uncles taking young cousins and sons down to initiate them into the trade).  There are obviously huge health risks, with silicosis a notoriously common fatal lung disease.  

In the typical start to a mining tour we were taken to the miners market where shop shelves are lined with 96% drinking alcohol, cigarettes, dynamite and coca leaves.  We were encouraged to buy presents of coca leaves which the miners chew all day while they work (they don't eat on shift) and fizzy pop drinks, but NOT cigarettes or alcohol (apparently other 'less ethical' agencies encourage this, but as our guide said, why put lungs already at risk more at risk and why encourage drunkenness in already dangerous conditions.  And the conditions are tough - dark (only light are the headlamps on the hard hats which in turn are about the only sign of safety equipment used by the miners as far as we could see) - low ceilings, air heavy with mineral dust, sludge and mineral contaminated water underfoot.  The miners carry heavy loads out on their backs in sacks, or load trolleys which they push and pull in teams along metal runners to the surface - intensely heavy work.

A key figure inside Cerro Rico is el Tío (Uncle).  A character who is considered god of the underground and is a symbol of fertility (any clue to that in his stature hey?! ;-) production and protection.  Apparently since colonial times he has been confused with a devil, but seeing as miners come here to make offerings of coca, cigarettes and alcohol and to pray for safety and productivity (and drink their 96% alcohol) he can't be much of a devil.

Another figure key to the town and mining's history is this more convincingly devilish character on the far left  - Francisco Pizarro - his face is all over Potosí including this wall of our hostel.  He was the Spaniard to 'found' the town Potosí (changing its name from the local Ptojsi or Ptoj meaning "to spring forth") and to open the coin making mint, la Casa de Moneda, where his effigy now hangs intimidatingly in the entry way.  Now a museum, I was shown through the textiles, weavings and costumes rooms by this lovely local girl Paula who's about to head to Brazil to continue her studies in anthropology. (Thanks for the tour Paula!)

My first forays into the world of weavings of Bolivia, this was the very beginnings of me getting a grasp on what it means that Bolivia is a pluri-national country, made up of 36 recognised cultural groups, each using weavings in their own way to reflect and represent their culture and word views.

The costumes that most drew my attention were the Tinku costumes below, for their vivid, even fluorescent colours, and for the familiarity of the weaves that remind me of tartans!  Used in a traditional Andean ceremony that apparently involves violent combat between young men, the Tinku ceremony is celebrated in various communities, particularly in Potosí, and marks a moving from adolescence to adulthood, and a chance for communities to dance, drink and romance.

The last couple of days in Potosí were spent enjoying beers with a group from the hostel and local artisans, including Bolivian Mauro whose bag of materials included this parrot beak found in the jungle. Peculiar and fascinating...

Art raises the spirits...

big love

:-)