"!" "*!" "Freedom for all Colonies !" "*!" "THE BOLlVlAN silver mines OF THE CERRO rico mountain" "HAVE BEEN exploited FOR OVER 450 YEARS" "It is estimated THAT OVER eight million PEOPLE" "HAVE died in THE mines" "TODAY OVER 5000 lNDlOS WORK in MlNER-OWNED cooperatives in SEARCH OF ANY remaining minerals within CERRORlCO it is KNOWN AS "THE mountain THAT EATS MEN"" "My name is Basilio Vargas." "I am 14 years old." "I work in the la Cumbre mine." "My boss gave me a double shift." "That means 24h ofwork." "My brothers name is Bernardino Vargas." "He is 12 and helps me inside the mine." "We are assistants ofour boss Saturnino." "He is supervising a dynamite explosion." "The most dangerous part is placing the detonator." "Ifyou hit it too hard itwill all explode." "Only ifthe devil is generous will he give us a good vein ofsilver." "And wewill all be able to exit alive." "Explosion." "THE devil'S miner" "I have been working here forfouryears." "And working below is dangerous because an accident can happen." "School will start soon... and studying isvery important for me" "Becausewe don'twant to live in the mines anymore" "That'swhy studying is so important" "Because I will get ajob this way, I mean." "I can deal with the mines but laterwhen I find a newjob" "I won't be in the mines anymore" "Potosi" " Highest city in theworld." "Altitude - 14,000 ft / 4300 m" "Every daythe miners come up the mountain in trucks because it's easier." "Everyone goes to the mine where heworks" "Every daythe miners arrive around 8 or 9" "Some start in the morning and only return the next day" "That is the double shift- Working all night" "At the minewhere I livework about 10 miners." "Because the quality ofthe mineral is low and there are almost no minerals left here" "Living here on the mountain is verytough because." "The houses are made ofstone and up herewe don't have heating." "And at night itsvery cold" "The familieswho live here on the mountain are from the countryside." "There must be 350 to 400 here" "Whatwe do is guard the tools ofthe mines" "That's my mothersjob" "My son Basilio is like the father ofthe family." "He gives us a lot ofeconomical support" "The mines are dangerous butwe need the money" "So Basilio is crucial to the family" "Papa Papa" "Give me candy papa" "Basilio is like a father ofthe family" "When my brother is around I always feel better I like them all a lot, most ofall my mother" "You like us l workwith my brother in the mine." "I help him a little I live on the Cerro Rico with my mom" "I guard the mine so nothing is stolen." "That'swhat I do" "Myfatherwas no a miner." "We lived in the countryside." "Wewere merchantsworking with blankets ofwool" "and we sold them here in Potosi" "Butwhen myfather died when I was about two years old." "We moved up to the old mine were I work now" "From this minewe never left again lt is sometimesverytouugh because there is no father in our house." "Manythieves roam through the night and it's a bit dangerous." "Because at nightwe guard two mines." "Do you want to playtic tacktoe?" "No come on." "Let's sleep." "Hello Tio" "Let's offer him some coca leaves" "You knowwhat Bernardo?" "Never stop believing ln the Tio" "Because ifyou hate him and don't make him offerings hewill punish you." "He could even kill you with explosions and falling rocks." "He eats the miner" "He kills him and then eats his soul" "What do you think ofthe Tio?" "I don't like to look at his face" "Does he scare you?" "Yes a little" "You don't have to be afraid now." "Some men told me that the Tio will eat you." "Hewill grab you and rise up when you are close to him." "That'swhy I ma a little afraid." "You shouldn't be afraid ofthe Tio" "You should believe in him." "Make him offerings." "And then hewon't harm you" "Hewill give you more minerals and protect you from accidents." "I wanted to take my brotherto the Tio because he'svery afraid of him." "Every day I will take him to the Tio so that little by little hewill get used to him and won't be afraid anymore." "My name is Saturnino Ortega" "As the boss I control this entire mine I taught the boys everything they know." "From thevery beginning." "Butwith care, not an iron fist." "The necessity obliges them towork." "But it's not onlythese two." "There are many children working." "It's an incredible sadness." "They are throwing their bodies into the same fire asswe do.." "Thousands and thousands of peoplework here." "The more you workthe more you make." "There is no fixed salary." "Ifthere is a good vein, you make money. lf not you don't." "That's the luck ofthe miner" "Hey boss." "Should we take the cargo out?" "Yes" "Put yourfoot here I would never let my brother work alone in the mines." "I feel responsible for him and I protect him from accidents." "From the collapses." "I have to help him with everything so that nothing happens to him" "The miners mostly die from silicosis." "When all the dust in your lungs unite." "It eats awayyour lungs until they burst." "Sometimeswhen the miner is dying, he coughs up blood." "That'swhat silicosis does to your body." "Other miners like my boss already have the silicosis." "That'swhythe miners die fast - when they are 40 or 35." "I don'twant to die in the mines." "I want to survive until I am big." "That'swhy I don'twant towork in the mines because. ltworries me." "School is about to begin and I still don't have a uniform." "Ifyou don't gowith the right clothes, theywill kickyou out." "What I needed mostwere the trousers, shoes, shirt and tie." "Not onlyfor me, but also for my siblings." "My monthly salary is only 25$, so it took us 2 months to save for school." "My dream is that they go on studying" "They should have a career so they never have to return to the mines." "The clothes cost us 45$" "To save thiswe couldn't even buy bread" "Onlyfor her, for my little sister" "Hair Salon Cristal" "Just give it to her." "Let the child play" "The strictest rules in school are the uniform, but also the haircut" "Ifyou don't get a haircut they won't let you in." "These are the most terrible rules that exist in this school." "Do you go to school?" "What did yourteachertell you?" "Nothing." "Not even that you should do your homework?" "Orto be all cleaned up and pretty" "Yes." "So I will groom you well" "I always get the semi-mushroom cut." "With this cut you can go to school." "But notwith the mushroom cut." "The mushroom cut is too long." "With the semi-mushroom the hair is shorter and you are ok." "We use Coca leaves towork in the mine." "The coca isvery important lt kills fatigue, hunger and gives you more strength" "That'swhywe always use coca." "Did you hearthat?" "How many hours arewe going towork?" "thewhole day" "Until what time?" "six" "Should I use this lamp?" "Yes, get it ready" "When we leave our house, we cross ourselves." "And ask God that nothing happens to us." "Outsidewe believe in God, who is our savior." "Butwhen we enterthe mines, things change." "We are entering theworld ofSatan." "Underthe earth, we must believe in Satan." "The devil." "We ask him forfavors. sometimes on our knees." "lighting candles for him." "so our belief is split into twoworlds." "Hit hard" "I know many peoplewho died." "Maybe the devil killed them because they didn't give him offerings." "These are the punishments ofthe Tio." "Since there are so manyveins, there are over 500 different mines." "In every mine there is a Tio." "In every single one." "Always." "A mine can't existwithout its Tio." "Small ones, big ones." "they always have one." "Tio, so that you give us more production and minerals... that you protect us from accidents." "so nothing happens to our mines." "Do you knowthe story ofthe Tio?" "No" "This Tio is from colonial times." "When the Spaniards arrived, the lndios though, theywere gods sent from heaven." "But itwasn't like this." "They were evil peoplewho abused them." "Therewas also a mita." "Do you knowwhat a mita is?" "Itwas forced labor, without leaving the mine for six months." "With 20 hours ofwork and 4 hours of resting." "The lndios didn'twant towork in the mines anymore.." "So they rose up against the Spanish crown." "and said, "we don'twant towork anymore."" "The Spanish knewthe lndios believed in all kind ofgods." "So they built a statuewith horns and a tail." "And to the lndios they said, "ifyou don'twork, this God will kill you."" "Theywere not able to say "Dios" (God)." "They said Tios." "because in the Quechua alphabet the letter "D" does not exist.." "So they gave him the name "Tio"." "We are painting a Tio and putting down his name." "When we paint him, I don't think he gets angry." "becausewe adorn him thisway." "We always like to drawon these walls." "Inside the mine it isvery hard and alsovery dangerous." "And when I go to school it is like a vacation. even if it is onlyfor a halfday." "On the first day ofschool, when I arrived." "everyonewas already in class." "I was late." "What can you observe in the night sky?" "The Stars." "In school myfirst classwas social science." "We learned about the universe." "We talked about the planets and stars." "From all the planets that exist." "the smallest is Mercury." "Myfirst daywas pretty good." "The only problem was that nobody wanted to talkto me." "I was all quiet and shy." "At school, when others know I work in the mine, they insult me." "They call me "RockThief."" ""Dust Sucker"" "That'swhy I don'twant them to know I work in the mine." "Sowhat did you learn in school?" "We learned about the universe." "That in the universe there is all this space." "The closest to the sun is Mercury." "Do you know how long mercury takes around the sun?" "88 days." "And forthem that's one year." "And for us on Earth it takes 965 days around the Sun." "And forthose on Pluto." "one year is 265 years long." "Don't tell me" "Do you like classes like math and all that stuff?" "Math notvery much, but I love French." "I don't have French yet." "I can chat in French, but I still can'twrite." "I like music class." "Math a little, but also religion." "Who is doing that?" " Explosion." "I think it's coming from down there." "Let's go out." "How many are there?" "Two" "They are big ones." "Three." "Let's get out!" " Therewill be lots ofdust." "For" "Let's go." "They are big." "Five" "!" ".." "I am ready." "Let's go." "Quickly." "It's already six." "But howcome no one told us?" "They are really bad." "Justwhy didn't anyone tell us?" "It must have been overthere." "These explosions." "How many?" "Six!" "Why didn't you guys let us know?" "You have to tell us!" "They are big ones." "The dustwill arrive fast." "Here's the exit lfyou don't offerthe Tio coca, cigarettes, or alcohol." "he can kill you with explosions lfyou have 10 explosions and only 8 explode, when you go back, 2 can explode." "And that's howthe miner dies because these twowere held back bythe Tio." "He punishes them with explosions." "That'swhyyou have to count the explosions." "Ifthe miners don't count an accident can happen." "Soon wewill sacrifice to the Tio." "Our production is low, sowe must make him an offering." "On the Day ofthe sacrifice, the miners first prayto God in church." "and then return to the mine to decorate the Devil." "Jesus always loves you." "He never gets tired of loving you." "He never gets tired of being at our side." "They live in aworld offear" "They com to mass, and to be safe, worship more so nothing bad happens." "They are doubling their reinforcement." "They go backto the mine butwith double reinforcement." "When I look into theirfaces." "I feel we have not yet donewhat we should have." "When I look at them, I see Jesus dying again." "without hope and nobody at their side defending them." "Nobody can graspwhat they are going through." "The life they have lived." "What has to change is that they don't believe in a God." "who theyfear." "Because if not, their God will always be the Tio and not Jesus." "In the end they have believed in the Tio." "but their life is destroyed." "Theworld outside belongs to God." "The crucifix is further outside than the Tiowho is deepwithin the mine." "The cross makes sure that the Devil is locked inside the mine." "Butwhen you enter deep into the mine, God doesn't reach there anymore." "It must be the Tio." "Get the knife!" "Afterthe kill, they continue to celebrate." "Some paint theirfaces." "That is the custom" "Afterwards, the miners' wives prepare a barbecue of llama." "And then the Coa offering begins." "Tio, Lord ofthe mountain." "we give you this offering." "so that you reveal your minerals and spare our lives." "The remains ofthe llama are burnt bythe shaman." "Without these sacrifices hewill kill you." "Hewould take the sacrifice from your own flesh." "That iswhywe bathe the entrance ofthe minewith blood... so that the Tio drinks it." "and doesn't drink our blood." "We always playfootball at the entrance ofthe mine on Sundays" "Here'swhat you bought" "Theywill get crushed" "Vanessa also likes to play ball with us, but always likes to foul." "sowejust call her little girlfriend and we can play in peace." "I teach my brother as much as I can, but I alwayswin." "But he is the better goalkeeper." "My mother always likes towatch TV." "She likes Horrorfilm." "likewhen the dead rise from the cemetery." "or mummies." "That'swhat she likes." "Vanessa likes cartoons." "We also like cartoons, but not soaps." "and wewatch films Saturdays and Sundays." "but not everyweek-end, because sometimes the battery runs out." "My brother and I are in school and forthat." "we need more money to buy all the utensils." "and also so myfamily can eat." "so I had towork more and more." "In my old mine the mineral quality is bad, and they paid me little." "onlytwo and a halfdollars per day." "and in other mines, with better minerals, they payfour dollars." "so I decided to find a new mine where theywould pay me more." "To find a Jobwas difficult because in some mines theywere full." "so I went from mine to mine." "In the Rosario Mine they said if I had an accident." "theywould continue to pay half my salary." "and on this condition I agreed." "It's a big and dangerous mine." "That'swhy I didn't take my brother." "Youngster Basilio." "Where did you find him?" " l found him on the street." "Will you help us drill this morning Basilio?" "Wewill blow up 10, 15 maybe 20 dynamite at the same time." "Wewill blowthe hell out of it." "Itwill be hard, no?" "What did you do in the other mine?" "I was making perforations.." "Manually?" "Here it is different, we use the pneumatic hammer." "You can't light the dynamite or workwith machines." "You need more experience." "Howold are you?" "14" "How long have you been wor- king in the mines?" "4 years" "Since you were ten?" " Yes." "You don't have a family?" " l have a mother." "So you are an orphan." "All these kidswhen they don't have family and have towork." "These orphans really suffer no?" " Oh yes." "Braulio is the boss ofa group of miners." "I always stay at his side." "Hewarns me about dangers." "He says "wagon's coming!" "Move to safety!"." "So that no accident happens." "The light green and white is arsenic. lt's toxic." "I have 20 years of mining experience." "I have taught manyyoung miners." "As I am a chief miner, I will take care of him." "teach him about the dangers and circumstances in the mines." "I always use my acetylene lamp becausewith this lamp I can detect the carbon monoxide gases." "When there is gas it goes out and then I knowthat I have to get out." "to avoid death in the mines." "Wagon!" "Get back!" "When I entered forthe first time, therewere all thiswagons coming." "I was a little afraid because thewagons don't have brakes." "Thewagons go fast on steep slopes and it'sverytight." "so I thought theywould hit me." "2400ft. / 800m from the exit" "Watch out, wagon!" "Itwas hot." "It must have been 35ºC (95ºF)." "Further down it became even hotter." "Basilio, let's look at the silver!" "is it high quality?" "How much per pound?" "1 10 to 120 Bolivianos ($13-$14 USD)." "It's hot here." "Maybe 40ºC (105ºF)." "Howold are you?" "Fourteen." "So you already like girls?" "2800 ft. / 950m from the exit." "It's 45 meters (145 ft. ) lt goes to level 4." "Braulio said I should work here because other places are too difficult." "The only bad thing is the sound." "The airtube isvery loud." "When wework here, it really hurts our ears." "I don't like that a child works." "so I recommend theywork, but also go to school." "so they can have a healthier profession." "In a new mine, the bosswill always take you to the Tio." "to askfor protection." "That's mainlyfor security reasons." "I was quite scared." "but I was therewith my Boss Braulio." "If I had been by myself." "I could never have faced the Tio forthe first time." "This is the biggest Tio in Cerro Rico." "Do you knowthe history ofthis mountain?" "No." "Rosario is an antique mine from the 16th century." "They exploited 46,000 tons ofsilver." "Potosi was the richest and most populated city." "More than London or Paris." "This mountain was really rich in the colonial times." "They saythat eight million miners have died here." "In this mountain alone?" "That'swhytoday it is known as:" ""The mountain that eats men alive."" "Most peoplewho have died here... are buried in the cemetery down in the city." "But it's avery sad place because sometimes I see people crying." "Surelythey are crying... about theirfathers or husbandswhowere miners." "Silence!" "Here rest the men who lost their lungs in the mines." "My son went to a mine as big as Rosario because he can earn more money." "With this money he can go to school and study. I am not tooworried... because I have a lot ofconfidence in the foreman who takes care of him." "I am notworking with my brother anymore so I don't like towork in the mines... because it'svery dangerous and I don't like to enterthe mine alone... and so I am helping my mom outside now." "We used to be to together but nowthat he went to a different mine I am all alone." "I miss him because I only see him at night... or in the morning when he goes to school." "That'swhen we see each other." "I am afraid something could happen to Basilio... because he doesn't knowthe mine... and could get lost, gowhere the gases are... and that'swhatworries me." "But in little time, therewill be carnival and that makes me happy." "Basiliowon't have towork." "Hewill havevacation." "Wewill all be together, Basilio, my sister and Mom." "I am very happy about that and Basilio too." "Youngsters!" "You will followthe rules and attend your classes." "Contemplating our reality" "There are about 20 boys here... and lesswomen, only 10 or 12." "I like it becausewhen I get to knowthe boys... I will start playing with them." "Butwith women I can't play." "Theyfight a lot and scratch you. lt's ugly." "Sometimes theythrowdirt or even rocks at you." "That'swhy I don't like girls." "Not the ones that like to fight." "God gave us our dignity." "He gave everybody an intelligence thatwe have to use." "So my question is: "Howcan you live in dignity?"" "To continue to study about God and to be yourself in life." "Stand up." "every groupwill do its own special dance." "While they are practicing, we do the same thing... all the children ofthe mountain... the oneswho live and work in the mines... orwhose fathersworkthere." "All of us are dancing." "Our group is called "The Little Miners"... and I'm happy because my brother and I will be dancing forthe first year." "Every Group has a leader." "The group leaders create the dance moves from thewaywework in the mines." "That'swhere the steps come from." "After practicewe throw water balloons at the girls... because I really don't like girls." "Tomorrow is Miners' Carnival." "I will dance down with myfriends and brother." "Our outfit is the helmet, the lamp and the boots... the backpack, the chistie, a cup and finally... food." "...the lunch pack." "With all thatwewill dance down to the city." "I am proud because I will dance forthe first time... and my mother and sister will come down to see us dance." "Butwewon't come down with a band therewill also be explosions." "We are dancing with the same tools thatwe use in the mines." "And the people always cheered us on: "Go little Miners!"." ""So that our Bolivia moves forward."" "Itwill get a little more difficult further down." "Vanessa is missing." "When we sawthe devil, wewere not too afraid... because his facewas different from the Tio." "My brotherwas a little afraid." "He said: "Let's go, he scares me."" "After dancing... wewent to church to attend mass... and to prayto the cross." "It is His day." "The day ofthe Cross." "On this daythey return it to the Christian temple... to renew its powers." "But meanwhile the devil is loose inside the mines." "He can make the miner suffer." "That iswhy no one enters the mines on this day." "Nobody can go towork." "This is aworld that you cannot understand at first sight." "As a priest you can't tell them..." ""You are farfrom the faith." "You will condemn yourself!"" "You can't tell them that." "You have to love your people, so you can understand them." "Then you can tell them: "There is a God who is strongerthan the Tio."." "Good day Señora." "Give me some food please." "Beforewe go up to the mine, we always buy a bag ofcoca." "Afterthatwe go to the truck stop... because I have to take the truckto the new mine." "The first part is ok, but then it getsvery uncomfortable." "The truck starts moving, and I feel bad because people are crushing me." "My shift in the mine starts at two." "My boss always comes outside so thatwe entertogether." "I took Basilio to the deepest point on the Rosario mine... to about 1200 m (3900ft. ) from the entrance... and 500 m (1640ft. ) ofvertical depth." "Wewent there because I wanted him to have a powerful experience... ofthe hard labor in the drilling zone where there is a lot ofdust." "In the drilling zone itwas full of dust, and I didn't have the mask." "Itwas ugly and you could hardly see anybody." "Braulio took me there so that I get to knowall the places... but for me thiswasn't a good idea." "Therewas too much dust and I got a headache." "Itwas necessary because he should learn to respect the drilling master." "He showed great courage trying to help the drillers." "If Basilio continues towork in the mines... I think injust a fewyears he can also become a drilling miner." "But the miner has no future because his life is short... because he diesveryfast." "When you have silicosis or dust in your lungs you have a fewyears left and then you die." "If I had a father, I wouldn't have towork in the mines." "I would be able to study more." "I wouldn'tworkwith minerals... and wewouldn't live on the mountain." "Wewould live in the city." "But that's if I had a father." "This is a... an assumption." "But I don't have one." "My plan is to continueworking in the mines for another 5 months." "During that time I will be able to save money... and then myfamily and I will be able to move to the city... where l will lookfor easierwork." "I want to move forward with my studies." "I will continue to study until I graduate as bachelor." "Then I will studyto become a teacher." "A teacher has a monthly salary... so I won't have to enter the mines anymore." "I would like to be a civil engineer." "Thiswould be my dream." "But not here in Potosí... in different countries... like in La Paz or Santa Cruz or maybe in Cochabamba." "Although we know thatwe liveveryfewyears... although we knowthatwe sacrifice our lives for ourfamilies." "In spite ofall that, we are proud." "Becausewe are miners." "My dream would be to have a family... in avery beautiful place, awayfrom Bolivia." "Get to knowall the cities... and all of Europe." "My dream has always been to go to places that I don't know." "THERE ARE CURRENTLY ABOUT 800 children" "working in THE TUNNELS OF CERRO rico" "MOSTWlLL NEVER LEAVE THE mines" "Dedicated to the loving memory of Matthew Davidson"