Mining Cerro Rico in Potosi, Bolivia
Bolivia Mining Conditions and Child Labor in the Potosi Mines
Cerro Rico, the ‘Rich Mountain’ of Potosi,Bolivia, no longer lives up to its name. Its history is one of extravagant wealth, stripped by Spanish colonials at the expense of 8 million lives. Indigenous and African miners were forced to work for their new masters, perishing over three centuries of back-breaking labor, while Spain and Potosi grew rich from the silver.
Mining Potosi Silver and Zinc in the Poor Working Conditions of Cerro Rico in Potosi, Bolivia
While low-grade silver is still extracted from the Cerro Rico mines, zinc is now the most profitable metal for the miners of Potosi. The silver ‘boom’ days gradually came to an end in the early 1800’s as the mines became depleted. However, as many as 8,000 miners still try to earn a living in the Cerro Rico mines, also known as Cerro Potosi. The miners, many of whom are local Quechua-speaking Indians, now work in small co-operatives. They work, albeit collectively, for themselves.
While the days of slavery have thankfully come to an end, conditions and techniques within the mines of Cerro Rico have changed little. The shaft network is primitive, poorly lit and inadequately ventilated, with temperatures often reaching 40C.
Where power cables are present, they are often poorly maintained and often exposed. Elevators are not installed for moving between levels. The Bolivian miners squeeze through small crawl spaces and climb old wooden ladders to access the deep-cut extremes of the Potosi mines.
Within the cramped depths of the Cerro Rico mine the workers hammer iron rods into the rock face, progressing slowly before removing the rod and sliding dynamite into the newly formed hole. Retreating to a supposedly safe distance, fuses are then used to detonate the explosives. This process creates a newly exposed area in which to mine.
Bolivia Mining Conditions, Coca Leaves, Low Life Expectancy and Silicosis in Cerro Rico, Potosi, Bolivia
Working days are long in the Cerro Rico mines. Much time is needed at the mine-face in order to earn enough to survive. The miners chew huge amounts of coca leaves while they work. This helps to ward off hunger (stopping to eat wastes precious time) and also helps keep the body stimulated in the high altitude and harsh conditions of the mines. A constant supply of coca leaves is a priority for every miner. Cheeks normally bulge with the stimulating leaf.
Long days and dangerous conditions lead to a low life expectancy in the Cerro Rico mines, on average only 40 years. Mining accidents play only a small part in this. The greatest danger is the constant exposure to mineral dust. It is too uncomfortable for the miners to wear protective face masks in the hot and poorly ventilated mines, air already thin due to the altitude, and many contract the lung disease known as silicosis.
Known as the mal de mina this disease is the greatest killer in Cerro Rico. A government pension is available to miners with advanced symptoms but by this time the victim often has only months to live.
Child Labor in the Cerro Rico Mines of Potosi, Bolivia
The fatal nature of prolonged exposure to the mineral dust is exacerbated by child labor in Cerro Rico, where children begin working in the mines as young as 8-years-old. Becky Branford, in an article entitled 'History Echoes in the Mines of Potosi' (BBC News Online), writes that "an estimated 1,000 children between eight and 12-years-old" are among the 8,000 miners who work in Cerro Rico.
It is not uncommon to find a child working alongside his father in the mines. Mining is often a family tradition, generations having worked the same mines in Cerro Rico. It is also a matter of income. A family of miners struggling to earn enough to support themselves will often commit their children to work in the mines at an early age.
Governmental rules are not in place in Bolivia, or in Bolivia mining regulations, to guard against such child labor. In the Cerro Rico mines the cycle of working early in life and dying young constantly renews itself.
Escaping the Mines of Potosi, Bolivia, and Cerro Rico Tours
A few miners are now escaping the long and dangerous days in Cerro Rico, finding work as tour guides for the tour operators in Potosi who take tourists into the mines. Tourism in Potosi and guided tours of the mines are a new and modern development in the area. But while some of the miners can benefit from it, many will not have the chance.
For some in Potosi, Bolivia, mining is the only life they know and will ever know. In this remote region of Bolivia there are limited other options for work. And while the potential still exists to make a living in the Cerro Rico mines of Potosi people will continue to work them whatever the cost.
Mining Zinc and Silver in Potosi Bolivia
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Working in the Cerro Rico Mines
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