A door along the streets of Potosi - the world's highest city over 4000 meters - founded in 1545.
Infrastructure in need of modernizing - however satelite based WiFi works well.
The cooperative silver mine allowed the city to grow to the wealthiest city in Latin America - underwriting the Spanish economy for two centuries. Today 16,000 miners still work the mine with low technology dynamite, picks, shovels and push carts.
Sol - our guide - holding a stick of dynamite still routinely used by the miners.
Entering the mine donned in boots, jackets, hard hats and miners lights.
We walked, hunched over much of the time, and crawled for 3 hours.
Miners chew coca leaves all day long to alleviate stress and hunger.
Raw material to be transported by push cart to the surface.
Acidic formations dripping from the mine shaft ceiling.
A vertical vein of silver and zinc above our heads.
Offerings of alcohol, cigarettes and coca leaves are made by the miners at the end of each day for safety and good production.
A small cafe with good cappucinos on the edge of the main square in Potosi.
Sizzling steak dinner washed down with a Huari Bolivian beer at the end of a long day at the silver mine.
Sunset overlooking a church bell tower from the window of our hostel.
