This mountain (pic) – Cerro Rico, 'rich hill' – is made of silver. Or rather, it was, until the Spanish stole it all. Using slave labour, they literally made a mint in the process – all their empire's coins were made from this silver. Now, the hill's hollowed out remains are still being mined, but very little is left, and getting it out is horrible work.
It's in the city of Potosí, which thanks to all that silver was one of the richest places in the 17th- and 18-th century world. The elegant centre (pic) reflects that. When the silver dried up though it became poor. Everywhere else in town reflects that.
Anyway, I overnighted here on my way west. Here, as throughout Bolivia, women all seem to carry stuff on their backs in vivid blankets, rucksack-style (pic). What's in there I don't know, though sometimes it's a child or two, or possibly an animal of some kind. I saw one lady getting on my bus with seven of them. Blanket-rucksacks that is.
And of course there's lots of street food too (pic). Cheap, delicious, hygienic... well, two out of three's not bad.
As for what's going on here (pic), well, it looks like one heck of a barbecue.
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