The 'cannibal' mountain attracts tourists

Over nearly five centuries, some eight million people died on Cerro Rico in Bolivia and it is now a popular tourist attraction.

Located in the middle of one of the highest cities in the world, Potosí, Bolivia, Cerro Rico is known as the Mountain of Wealth. The Spanish colonists gave Cerro Rico this name in reference to the huge amount of silver ore lying beneath it, more than 56 thousand tons, so much so that they believed the mountain was made entirely of silver.

Cerro Rico mountain is located near the residential area of ​​Potosí. Photo: Al Jazeera America.

Millions died

In 1545, a small town was built at the foot of the mountain, with some 3 million indigenous people forced into the mines to work. According to historian Eduardo Galeano, some 8 million men have died below Cerro Rico since the 16th century from accidents or overwork, starvation and disease.

The miners said the ore dug up would be enough to build a silver bridge from Cerro Rico to Spain. But the bones of the fallen would be enough to build a bridge from Spain back to the mountain.

Many people have different opinions, saying that this number is exaggerated, including residents living in the area around the mine who have moved away, not just casualty statistics. It is difficult to give exact figures on the number of people who died under the mountain, but it is certainly a huge number, so much so that Cerro Rico has earned the reputation of "the cannibal mountain".

People's life

Today, although Spanish colonization no longer exists, what happens below Cerro Rico hasn't changed much from before.

Over 500 years of mining, humans have left behind a complex system of tunnels interspersed with sinkholes in the heart of Cerro Rico, a mountain that could collapse at any time despite having been lowered several hundred meters during the Spanish Empire.

Many people died in accidents, but the main cause of death was pneumoconiosis, a disease caused by breathing in too much dust in the mines. Normally, mines have a water system that flushes the drill bits to keep dust out, but the mines at Cerro Rico do not have such equipment. Few men in the area live to be 40. According to the local widows’ association, an average of 14 women lose their husbands each month.

Children here can work in the mines from the age of 10, as is the tradition for city residents. Sometimes they have to work eight-hour shifts from 2am to get to school the next morning. According to the BBC, these young miners face another danger from toxic fumes after each explosion.

Men and young men from the area come to work at the Cerro Rico mine. Photo: Taringa.

Men and boys who work underground often chew coca leaves to cleanse their lungs. They also offer coca leaves, alcohol, cigarettes and sweets to El Tio, the demon god of Cerro Rico. All 38 mines have a statue of El Tio in their shafts.

"The devil has horns because he lives underground," said Grover, Marco's boss. "We gather on Fridays to make offerings to him, asking him to give us more ore and protect us from disaster. When we come out of the mine, we are God's children, but once we come in here, we worship the devil."

Tourists watch miners make offerings to the statue of the devil El Tio in a mine at the foot of Cerro Rico. Photo: Al Jazeera America.

New door

By the early 21st century, Bolivia’s mining industry had completely ground to a halt. Cerro Rico’s history was legendary, making the mountain the South American country’s most important monument.

In 1987, UNESCO recognized Cerro Rico as a world heritage site, the historical value of the mountain opened a new door for Potosí - tourism, the Guardian likened this to a lifebuoy for the city's economy. However, Vice President of the Potosí Citizens' Committee, Mr. Marco Antonio Pumari, said that the Bolivian government needs to take measures to preserve this heritage.

The Bolivian government is racing to implement an ambitious $2.4 million plan to stabilize Cerro Rico. They will fill in a 700-square-meter sinkhole that appeared in 2011.

Some people believe that this solution is only a temporary solution, and they are calling on the government to ban mining near the mountain.

"For some people, the mountain is like the Eiffel Tower, for others it is a source of income for their families," said Wilber Garnica, a tour operator in Potosí. "There are people who depend on the mines, and when prices go up and life becomes difficult, they have no choice but to go into the mines and work."

In 2005, filmmakers Kief Davidson and Richard Ladkani portrayed the life of 14-year-old Basilio Vargas and his 12-year-old brother Bernardo in the Devil's Miner. The film premiered at two film festivals, Rotterdam and Triberca.

According to VNE