potosi, bolivia

short stay in potosi. not many pictures in potosi. i got really sick in potosi. :S

the day after we arrive we woke up and went to the plaza following some music sounds. there was people playing, singing and dancing. a lot of old people. we found out that it was a manifestation from ïndigenous¨communities around the city that were asking for more autonomy. it was a serious thing, but an enjoyable seriousness, or something like that. 

we walked around town, went to the market looking for local and cheap food. i was not feeling good, coughing all night and having stomach problems (probably because of the local cheap food, but whatever) and someone suggested to go see a lady at a small plaza that sold medicinal remedies. it was a little cart with a lot of bottles and the lady mixed random stuff (random for me) depending on what you said you felt. it looked like the only two real options were remedies for a cold or for your kidneys. i drank it... but maybe it is not a nice story to tell on this post ;) the other remedy, that i LOVE, is fresh squeezed orange juice. there are these little carts, in every town i went in bolivia, where sell juice. i have never had orange juice, i know, i DO live in this world, and i know this is the simplest thing. but everytime i spotted one of these little carts, i ran for it. :)

potosi is a mine town where they look for silver, zinc, tin and something else that i can´t remember. so, we took a tour to one of the mines, and it was... interesting. after i was there it felt a little bit wrong, although you bring stuff for the miners and sit down with them for a while to hang out during a break, but still, i felt like i was in their space. before going into the mine you buy presents for them, coca leaves for them to have energy and not get hungry, juice and this alcohol that is 96% that they mix with the juice. i just brought coca leaves. 

when you go inside the mine beliefs change, potosi is a very catholic town, but inside the mines, the miners believe in the tío and the pachamama. the tío is the devil, and inside the mine they have a statue of him about 200m from the entrance. they believe that the tío gives keeps them safe as long as they keep him happy. i didn´t take a picture, but the tío was covered in confetti and surrounded by alcohol bottles, it was the first friday of the month and they had a party in honor of the tío. pacha mama means mother nature in quechua, and they believe that she gives them the blessing to find more minerals. when they drink, they always pour the alcohol in the ground before drinking, one time for the tío and one for pacha mama.

this was inside the mine. it was scary at tome times. scary stuff.