noithatrelaxart-blog

[lestatth]

La Leyenda de El Tío de La MINA, cerro rico de Bolivia

#leyendas #misterio #Bolivia #minaSantaRosita #terror #Tíodelamina #CerroRico #FragmentosdelaNoche #CerroRicodePotosí

[losmochilerosfelices]

Potosi am Fuße des Cerro Rico mit 4067m die höchste Großstadt der Welt. Seit 1545 werden hier die Silber- und Edelmetallvorkommen des Berges abgebaut. Zu seiner Blütezeit finanzierten diese Silbervorkommen quasi die komplette Weltwirtschaft. Dabei starben bis zu 8 Millionen Ureinwohner. Und auch heute noch wird unter unvorstellbaren Bedingungen weiter Erz abgebaut. Mit Dynamit, dass an jedem Straßenkiosk erhältlich ist und in reiner Handarbeit werden weiterhin von tausenden Arbeitern weiter Stollen in den Berg getrieben. Auch wir sind in die Schächte gestiegen und waren sehr froh nach über 4 Stunden unbeschadet das Tageslicht zu erblicken.

[164-days-of-adventures-blog]

We visited the old mines of Potosí which were started in the XVI century and are still up and running with around 14.000 miners still working, extracting Silver, Lead, Zinc. The visit was like working in a mine for a few hours. Some galleries required us to crawl on our knees uphill (the mine is 4400 mts above sea level, so easy to run out of breath) in the darkness and dust, so we bailed out halfway and couldn't follow our miner guide. Miners took out their load on 2 ton wagons that moved pretty fast through the galleries and could run you over if you didn't pay attention. We ended the tour having some shots of a 96% alcohol with some miners who were celebrating having found a good load of silver. Scary at times, but super cool to be able to visit an actively exploited mine. #potosi #cerrorico #164daysofadventure

[januszfotografii]

In the departments of La Paz, Oruro and Potosí, which were conquered by the Incan Empire, typical Bolivian dress didn’t look anything like it does today. The Quechua clothing was colorful but very simple. . . . . . . . . . #Bolivia #potosi #cerrorico #visualcollective #outdoortones #somewhere_travel #wondermore #featureshoot #somewhere #roamnation #podroze #travel #allaboutadventures #landscapephotomag #spicollective #poverty #minimal #planetearth #pellicolamag #timeoutsociety #toldwithexposure #nikon #d750 (w: Potosí, Bolivia) https://www.instagram.com/januszfotografii/p/BtVrxpNA0GE/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1pmv35gpwf03w

[nikinervi]

The Bolivia series: #bolivia #potosi #4060 #cerro #rico #cerrorico #plata #silver #landscape #landscapephotography #city #cityscape #cityscene #history #historic #historiccity #ancient #mines #mineria (presso Potosí, Bolivia)

[munichasia]

El Tío (The Uncle), is believed in Cerro Rico, Potosí, Bolivia as the "Lord of the Underworld'. 👹👺🤡💀☠️👻 There are many statues of this devil-like spirit in the mines of Cerro Rico. El Tío rules over the mines, simultaneously offering protection and destruction. Some figures are really in the shape of a goat. Miners bring offerings such as cigarettes, coca leaves, and alcohol for the statues and believe that if El Tío is not fed, he will take matters into his own hands. Villagers of Potosi ritually slaughter a llama and smear its blood on the entrance to the mines. The miners of Cerro Rico are Catholics and they believe in both Christ and El Tío. However, worship of El Tío is condemned strongly by the Catholic Church. El Tío is similar to some voudou-Folk Catholicism cultures mythology, such as the spirits of protection, the loa, in Legba in Haiti and some cultures in New Orleans. . . . #potosi #cerrorico #viajandoporbolivia #viajandoporelmundo #viajeros #bolivia #boliviatravel #explorebolivia #bolivia2018 #igersbolivia #thisisbolivia #boliviatrip #unboliviable #boliviadestinations #turismobolivia #bolivia🇧🇴 #backpackingbolivia #experiencebolivia #backpackingsouthamerica #backpackingover60 #backpackerstory #travelingbolivia #travelbolivia #travelphotographyoftheday #makememories #makememorieseveryday #makememoriesnotmoney #over60traveler #travellingthroughtheworld #solo_travellers_over60 @wolfgangzehnter (at Potosí, Bolivia)

[stevespeharphoto]

Cerro Rico: The Mines — Potosi, Bolivia, 2000. From the Archive. A series I shot from inside and around the #silvermines which date back more than 400 years. These mines are still in operation, though the silver which once built a Spanish empire is long since stripped away. #potosíbolivia #mine #cerrorico #miners #widow #underground #potosí #blackandwhite #analogphotography #film #grainy #highspeedfilm #travelphotography #35mm #stevespeharphotography #sspeharphotoarchives #southamerica #bolivia

[andresaguicue]

#walkingaround #potosi #cerrorico #free #cold (en Cerro Rico)

[bobbamberg]

This is Cerro Rico, the mountain that eats men, in Potosí was the prime source for silver in the Spanish Empire. It is still mined today by local cooperatives without any regulation and thus pretty much resembles a swiss cheese with a constant danger of collapsing. Also, mining techniques haven't changed much since the colonial era: drilling holes for dynamite, blasting, hammering the rubble to small pieces and pushing it out in small carts in teams of two to three miners. All this in unventilated, hot and badly reinforced tunnels at 4000 m elevation. Most miners start working in there early teens and many later die of silicosis, cave-ins or suffocate in the tunnels. Entering the mines with a local guide, an ex-miner, was definitely one of the most impressive parts of our trip! #cerrorico #potosi #bolivia #mining #travel #adventure #mine #geology #mountain #silver (at Potosí, Bolivia)

[abelvixx]

Dining high tonight at 4060m above sea level... in Potosí, Bolivia, whose silver made Europe rich. It's likely that 8m people have died in the mines since these 16th century. . . . . #phdadventure #nosmallplans #potosi #bolivia #highaltitude #miningtown #silver #colonialism #cerrorico #genocide (at Potosí, Bolivia)

[khalz-wukong]

Lion gate #lion #sculpture #colonial #art #history #antique #square #feline #jungleking #spainstyle #cat #emblem #turism #Potosí #Bolivia #facehunting #pic #vacationphotographer #travelpic #travellover #León #emblema #historia #cerrorico #boliviateespera #conquistaespañola #antiguo #morirantesqueesclavosvivir @blissful_lions @instagram @natgeo @natgeotravel @vacationphotographers (at Potosí, Bolivia)

[januszfotografii]

Woman in traditional Bolivian dress on the Cerro Rico slope. . . . . #Bolivia #potosi #cerrorico #visualcollective #outdoortones #somewhere_travel #wondermore #featureshoot #somewhere #roamnation #podroze #travel #allaboutadventures #landscapephotomag #spicollective #poverty #minimal #planetearth #nikon #d750 (w: Potosí, Bolivia) https://www.instagram.com/januszfotografii/p/BsTAceIArEh/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=580zj64m2ajh

[nikinervi]

Rinconpandora the Bolivia series: Potosí, 2011 #potosi #cerrorico #cerroricodepotosi #bolivia #boliviaquerida #boliviateespera #altitude #highestpoint #southamerica #latinamerica #colonialhouse #colonial #ancient #ancientcity #silver #plata #history (presso Potosí, Bolivia)

[munichasia]

Ready to go inside? 🤔🤗😊 The man-Eating mines of Potosí On the Bolivian Altiplano, at more than 4000 meters above sea level, lies South America's most elevated town. Potosí is a mining town famous for the incredible riches that have been cut out of the Cerro Rico Mountain ever since 1545, when the Spaniards began with large-scale excavation. Its silver soon became the foundation of the Spanish Empire, and at its peak in the seventeenth century Potosí was one of the world's largest and wealthiest cities. . . . #potosi #cerrorico #viajandoporbolivia #viajandoporelmundo #viajeros #bolivia #boliviatravel #explorebolivia #bolivia2018 #igersbolivia #thisisbolivia #boliviatrip #unboliviable #boliviadestinations #turismobolivia #bolivia🇧🇴 #backpackingbolivia #experiencebolivia #backpackingsouthamerica #backpackingover60 #backpackerstory #travelingbolivia #travelbolivia #travelphotographyoftheday #makememories #makememorieseveryday #makememoriesnotmoney #over60traveler #travellingthroughtheworld #solo_travellers_over60 @wolfgangzehnter (at Potosí, Bolivia)

[thijze-blog]

19 | Once upon a time not long ago..

Bolivia - Potosí / Cerro Rico

Na Uyuni pakten we de bus naar Potosí. Potosí is één van de meest hooggelegen steden ter wereld (4.090 m) en is groot geworden door de ontdekking van zilver in de nabijgelegen Cerro Rico (rijke berg).

In de 16e eeuw was dit de rijkste stad van Zuid Amerika, maar op dit moment is daar niet veel meer van te zien. Alleen de tientallen kerken van de stad worden nog goed onderhouden.

De mijnen van Cerro Rico zijn op dit moment bijna uitgeput, dat terwijl 40% van de inwoners van Potosí nog steeds afhankelijk is van de productie van de mijn. Het werken in deze mijn is erg gevaarlijk, mijnwerkers worden gemiddeld 45 jaar oud, doodsoorzaak: mijnwerkersziekte (inademen van gevaarlijke gassen) of door ontploffing/instorting. Er overlijden ongeveer 15 mijnwerkers per maand in/door deze mijn.

Wij hebben de mijn van Cerro Rico bezocht met een gids die zelf ook jaren lang in deze mijn heeft gewerkt. Hij vertelde ons over het leven in de mijn en nam ons mee tot 60 meter diep (met gammele houten laddertjes zonder enige beveiliging), maar de mijnen gingen nog veel verder dan dat…

ENGLISH | This is a story about a fatherless 14 year old boy from the countryside who is destined to work in the silver mines of the Cerro Rico mountain in Potosí, the highest city of the world. There are over 5.000 people (men) working at one of the 500 miner owned cooperatives on Cerro Rico, which has been mined for over 450 years. During the Spanish colonial period - 1546 to 1825 - great amounts of silver had been extracted that essentially funded the Spanish empire. Potosí once was one of the wealthiest cities in the world, surpassing London and Paris. An estimated 8 million (!) people have died in their quest for silver. Silicoses (lung disease), mercury poisoning and exhaustion are usually the source of death of the miners, who's life expectancy is less than 40 years. Others die from dynamite explosions, cave ins or falling rocks.

While Basilio and his 12 year old brother Bernardo work the mines during the day - sometimes doing double shifts - their mother and younger sister guard their tools just outside the mines on the mountain where they live in a small, unheated house with limited electricity. In every mine is a devil 'Tio' with an altar where sacrifices are to be made. Inside the mines, Basilio - just like everyone else - worships this devil for protection and the ability to find a silver vein (or other valuable minerals). To deal with hunger, fear, tiredness (or exhaustion) they chew coca leaves, all day long. The miners don't eat during their 8-10 hour shifts. 

Basilio dreams of being a teacher and Bernando wants to be a civil engineer. In order to study they need more money and Basilio decides to start working in a more dangerous mine. His brother stays with their mother and sister. Basilio's new boss sees potential in him becoming a drilling master. Although this is considered a huge compliment, it's actually the drilling masters who're the most vulnerable to the toxic gases. Fortunately Carnaval is around the corner and all problems will be forgotten for one day full of dance, joy and - for lack of a better term - happiness. 

Unfortunately this story is mostly true. In 2005 there were still more than 500 children working the mines, with a very small chance of escaping this miserable faith. In a deeper sense, the mines represent Bolivia where the majority of the population still lives in conditions of (extreme) poverty. After visiting the mines and doing some additional research Potosí left us with a bad taste in our mouth. And even now - almost one month later - that taste hasn't gone.

[evayarno]

4.040 m #potosi #cerrorico