Peru & Bolivia
Photo Gallery 15:
Potosí, Bolivia (2)
Photos by Adam Jones
Approximately 120 mines still operate on the Cerro Rico, many of them
mining cooperatives. A tour of the Candelaria mine, captured in these photos,
is an unforgettable experience
I.
Outside the mine
Our guide, José Luis (himself a miner for two years), explains the chemical
separation process at one of the processing plants outside the Cerro Rico.
II.
The Candelaria Mining Museum
A tribute to the African slaves who worked the Cerro Rico, in a
little museum in the bowels of the mountain.
III.
Cooperative miners in the Cerro Rico
(this shot and following)
A grinding, dangerous, brutally difficult life. All of the miners in
these photos have large wads of coca leaves in their cheeks to numb hunger
and increase stamina.
IV.
Preparing sticks of dynamite for underground detonation
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
Dynamite explosion outside the mine, on the flanks of
the Cerro Rico
