Potosi is known for its mines and we visited one. The visit couldn’t have been more touching. First, a young boy around 14 years old, gets out of the mine drunk and after falling and standing up, is hit by a mineral trolley. The official minimum age to work in the mine is 18 years old, but since there is no control over the regulation, kids end up chasing silver and parents send their kids to bring money to contribute to the household.
The famous Tio, consired a God for all the miners. Its image is very respected and offers to his image are very common
During the visit we talked to miners, saw the impressive conditions they work, inhuman coditions. “Ganan centavos y trabajan como bestias”.T his mine is mostly exploited by cooperatives but cooperative is just the name given because every worker works individually. What he finds is what he gains. In his first year, he gives 50% of what he finds to the cooperative, 30% on the second year, 3rd year 15% and on the 4nd year he gets the opportunity to form a team and gives 10% a year plus a yearly fee (this is what the guide told us). Our impression is that a miner who discovers silver, in the end will have around 2% of the selling price, because they are exploited by the companies (most of the miners are illiterate and do not know how do to math). There are 3 private companies that pay a fixed salary but they are less popular around miners, they prefer the risk/return approach.
Potosi is the highest city in Bolivia and in the world, 4000 msnm and we actually can prove it, it is impossible to walk and talk at the same time! Moreover it has the highest beer of the world, Potosina, and due to the high, Murta was unable to show its skills of serving a beer without foam. On the second day we visited Museo de la Moneda where it explains part of the importance of Potosi in the past and it is where coins used to be made; now Bolivian coins are made in Chile. In this city the buses are imported in second hand from China, so it is common to see Chinese letters/symbols on the buses. Potosi is worthy visiting.
Sucre was the following city in our Bolivian journey. Sucre is the capital of Bolivia and it is really beautiful, the city is all painted white. We visited the Mirador where we had a Paceña beer white a Chilean and Spanish friends. We visited Casa de La Independencia to know more about the history of Bolivia. In the evening we head to Cochabamba.
Its colonial streets can bring you a lot of a peace atmosphere while you walk up and down admiring all the white houses with a tiny terrace.
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário