Highest City in the World

Tomorrow marks the anniversary of Potosi’s independence, and today the streets were filled with parades of marching bands from all of the schools in the area. Tomorrow will see even more festivities…. The parades, together with mild, warm weather brought everyone to the streets, which were mostly closed to cars, so it was a good day for strolling the streets. I had a brief city tour, but as the guide spoke little English, I found my guide book and self-touring more informative.

Founded in the mid-1500’s, Potosi was a jewel in Spain’s colonial crown at the time, growing to be bigger than London or Paris of that time, and sending home tons and tons of silver to fuel Spain’s colonial ambitions. Unfortunately, the conditions of the indigenous miners extracting that silver from treacherous mines resulted in approximately 7 out of 10 dying one way or another. The silver boom lasted about 100 years before the claim ran out and the city went into decline. The mines are still plied for tin and other minerals, but apparently the conditions for the miners have changed little. The life expectancy of a miner is about 35 years.

One of the de rigueur tourist experiences in Potosi is donning hard hat, coveralls and headlamp and visiting a working mine. Get your photo taken all made up like a real miner! But somehow I can’t bring myself to be a tourist to suffering, and I have eschewed the experience.

Nonetheless, I have enjoyed the city and found a great restaurant that serves some great vegetarian food, in addition to the standard llama or pollo a la plancha. Salad, vegetables, whole wheat bread! It’s funny how much happier I feel when I am eating healthy food. I am looking forward to a reduction in altitude (the next city is at less than 9,000), as the bright sun, dust, and altitude are taking their toll on my eyes and sinuses. My nose is red enough to suppose that I have been swilling Scotch instead of agua mineral.