High inwards the Andes , inwards southwest Republic of Bolivia , towering inwards a higher house 1 of the highest cities inwards the basis , stands the cone-shaped peak of Cerro Rico —the “rich mountain”. The advert was given past times the Castilian Colonials for the huge quantities of silvery it contained. The Castilian idea that the entire mount was made of silvery ore.
In 1545 , a pocket-size mining town was established at the human foot of Cerro Rico , too some iii meg natives were forced to function at the mines. Hundreds of thousands died from accidents or killed past times overwork , hunger too disease. Nearly v centuries after , the Castilian overloads are long gone , but weather condition deep inwards the bowels of the mountains seem to convey changed little.
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Dozens of men too immature boys nonetheless transcend away inwards the mines from cave-in too collapses. Centuries of mining convey left the mount riddled amongst thousands of holes too unstable , too at that spot is a serious adventure of the entire mount coming down. Indeed , the mount has already diminished inwards pinnacle past times a few hundred meters due to extensive mining during the Castilian monarchy.
According to historian Eduardo Galeano , an estimated 8 meg men convey died inwards the Cerro Rico since the 16th century , although critics believe the figure is exaggerated too includes all the people who left the portion simply about the mines , too non simply those who died working inwards the mines. While it mightiness endure hard to tell how many people truly lost lives to the mount , the figure is undoubtedly huge , earning Cerro Rico the nickname , “the Mountain that Eats Men.”
While many transcend away from accidents , the greatest cost comes from silicosis , a lung illness caused past times breathing dust. Usually , inwards modern mines , the dust is prevented past times a continuous flow of H2O directed out of the drill tip. There is no such provision inwards Cerro Rico. Here , the dust drifts dorsum downwards the mine shaft where it is breathed into the lungs past times the miners. Once within the lungs , the dust sits too causes scarring of the lung tissues accompanied past times chronic bronchitis-like symptoms , fever , breast hurting , weight loss , weakness too eventually death. Very few alive to the historic menstruation of forty. According to the local widows' association , xiv women are widowed each month.
Today , the mines no longer create inwards quantities it did dorsum inwards the 18th century. Potosi has been on a deadening economical turn down always since.
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Situated at an height of four ,090 meters , Potosi is 1 of the highest cities inwards the world. Photo credit: travelmag.com/Flickr
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Sources: Wikipedia / BBC / NPR / PRI