Deep inside the Bolivian Mines of Cerro Rico, Potosi
Millions of men and children died in this mountain in the mines. Watch "The devil's miner" documentary for more.
Deep inside the mines of Cerro Rico are hundreds of statues of the Devil in the shape of a goat. The Catholics of Potosí know him as El Tío (The Uncle), lord of the underworld. According to their traditions, he rules over the mines, simultaneously offering protection and destruction. Miners leave offerings for El Tíotobacco, liquor, coca leavesin hopes that he will spare their lives. He was invented by the conquistadors to make the indigenous kill themselves in the mines.
In THE DEVILS MINER, Basilio and Bernardino, the young miners, are shown to be fervent believers in the awesome power of El Tío, providing offerings every day in hopes of his intercession. At regular intervals, the villagers of Potosí offer a sacrifice to the devil in the mines, ritually slaughtering a llama and smearing the animals blood on the adit, the entrance to the mine, and one another, in hopes of slaking El Tíos bloodlust that has claimed so many of their ancestors.
The legend of El Tío can be seen in other Catholic cultures that practice the religion of voudou, such as the related belief in Legba, the loa God of protection who is often represented as a statue. Like El Tío, Legba is seen as a guardian in Haiti and some cultures in New Orleans, and practitioners traditionally leave offerings of tobacco and rum in hopes of currying favor.
Its not surprising that the miners of Potosí seek divine protection, be it from Jesus on the outside of the mine, or El Tío underground; it is estimated that Cerro Rico and the other Bolivian mines have resulted in 8 million deaths in the last 500 years. So the offerings continueand so do the casualties.
