Bolivia’s Murderous Mine: Making a Molehill Out of a Mountain

Ricardo Morales started mining Bolivia’s Cerro Rico when he was 12, and he’s proud of the mountain’s majestic history. “It’s said that the silver taken from here could have built a bridge from the peak to Spain’s palace door,” boasts the raspy-voiced Morales, 52, standing at the entrance to his mine some 14,000 feet above sea level.

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