How many people died in Cerro Rico?
Some historians estimate that up to 8 million men have died in the Cerro Rico since the 16th century, when indigenous and African slaves were forced by the Spanish to live in the tunnels they mined. Since then, the landmark, known as the “mountain that eats men”, has continued to live up to its fearsome reputation.
What is Cerro Rico primarily known for?
Cerro Rico, which is popularly conceived of as being “made of” silver ore, is famous for providing vast quantities of silver for the Spanish Empire, most of which was shipped to metropolitan Spain. …
Why is it called Cerro Rico?
The Spanish called the mountain Cerro Rico, or Rich Mountain, for the silver they extracted from the mountain. Like all the miners here, he calls this place The Mountain That Eats Men.
How old are the Cerro Rico mines?
500-year-old
The 500-year-old mines of Bolivia’s Cerro Rico mountain produced the silver that once made the Spanish empire rich. Now riddled with tunnels, the mountain is a death trap for the men and boys who work there – and who pray to the devil to keep them safe.
How much money does Omar earn mining at Cerro Rico?
How much money does Omar earn mining at Cerro Rico? The equivalent of $500 per week in guaranteed salary. Gold has a specific gravity of almost 20.
What is Potosi famous for?
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.
How many people died in the Potosi mines?
It is believed that eight million people have died in the mines of Potosi, most of them either natives or African slaves. They used to be trapped underground for six months at a time, where they worked 20 hours a day.
How many people have died in the Potosi mines?
eight million people
It is believed that eight million people have died in the mines of Potosi, most of them either natives or African slaves. They used to be trapped underground for six months at a time, where they worked 20 hours a day.
How many children work in the mines today in Bolivia?
But the policy is not well enforced, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, which estimates nearly a quarter million Bolivian children ages 7 to 14 work and that these youngsters “engage in the worst forms of child labor, including in mining.”
Is there still silver in Potosi?
Located in the Bolivian Tin Belt, Cerro Rico de Potosí is the world’s largest silver deposit and has been mined since the sixteenth century, producing up to 60,000 tonnes by 1996. Estimates are that much silver still remains in the mines.
Did African slaves work in silver mines?
Few enslaved Africans were used in the silver mines in Peru. The mines were high in the mountains, and the cost of feeding and clothing slaves in this isolated and cold area would be too high. Africans were not used to the lack of oxygen in the air at that altitude, and did not work well.
How was Potosi ruined?
Modern Potosí is a shell of its former self. The mountain still towers over the city but it is crumbling inside, made unstable by the hundreds of miles of mine shafts constructed over the 500 years it has been exploited. “For many miners, their fathers also died of silicosis, and they entered the mine at an early age.
When did they fill in the top of Cerro Rico?
Bolivia’s state-owned mining company, commonly known by its Spanish acronym COMIBOL, predicted that in 2014 the fill-in project would be complete and the top of Cerro Rico restored to its former shape. But last December the summit once again crumbled, and rock continues to tumble as if through a giant funnel into the depths of the mountain.
Is the Cerro Rico mountain in Potosi collapsing?
Today, the Quechua own the mines, but conditions here are still brutal. Cerro Rico, or Rich Mountain, rises like a monument in Potosi, Bolivia. It has produced silver, and hardship, for centuries. Now it may be in danger of collapse.
Why was Cerro Rico called the Rich Mountain?
The Spanish called the mountain Cerro Rico, or Rich Mountain, for the silver they extracted from the mountain. Some 3 million Quechua Indians were put to work here over the years. Hundreds of thousands died, casualties of cave-ins, or killed by overwork, hunger and disease.
When was Cerro Rico de Potosi discovered by the Spanish?
Cerro Rico de Potosí was accidentally discovered in 1545 by Diego de Huallpa, a Quechua silver miner for the Spanish, while he was searching the mountain for an Inca shrine or traditional burial offering.