Talk:Cerro Rico
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This article is or was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): KHada90, Bengutman. Peer reviewers: Msefami.
Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 18:49, 17 January 2022 (UTC)
8 Million deaths?
edit8 million deaths since the 16th century works out to about 1.77 deaths per hour, every hour, or over 15,000 deaths per year, which I find difficult to believe. Additionally, the citation is from The Guardian, and not a primary source. Eriophora (talk) 14:01, 18 September 2014 (UTC)
Although I haven't edited it yet, the older secondary source provided says that the 8 million is for all of Peru. Which, could be, based on how the author makes a distinction between viceroyalties and territories, most likely means most western edge of central South America.Dichotomies (talk) 14:51, 30 March 2017 (UTC)
Ore or Native Silver
editThe article claims the mine contained silver ore. But how did an Aymara man "accidentally" discover silver ore? I had always heard that the mine contained metallic silver. I don't have a reference, but it's more consistent with the story of how the deposit was discovered. I've also heard it was the richest mineral find in history. Does anyone know if that's true? —MiguelMunoz (talk) 05:35, 11 July 2018 (UTC)
Historical Editorializing
edit"80% of all the world's silver came out of this mine, which increased the wealth of the entire planet." --No citation, incorrect, and a platitude.
"This wealth produced the construction of new cities and empires and served to finance some of the wonders of the world."
--Vague, no citation, and the "wonders of the world" all predate Potosi's use as a mine by a millennia or two. Or three. Also, wealth cannot “produce” anything.
"It is estimated that with all the silver stolen by the Spanish Empire from this hill, a bridge made entirely of silver could be built from Potosí to Madrid."
–- Where’s the math on that? No citation, a judgment call ("Stolen"), and this 'fact' about the bridge was a popular hyperbolic saying, not a serious estimation.
"After 1800, the silver mines were depleted, leaving far less valuable tin as the mine's main product. This eventually led to a slow economic decline."
-- An economic decline of what? This article is about a mountain; mountains do not have economies. Economies are human institutions.
The newly formed Cerro de Pasco Corporation pursued immediate large-scale extractive mining, which contributed to a long-term change in the local eco-system. The need for large quantities of timber to build the mining infrastructure necessary to extract minerals, also caused high amounts of erosion and deforestation. Dams needed to produce electricity for this massive private project caused floods, which altered the land and damaged the natural environment. After centuries of extractive mining methods that severely damaged the local ecology the mountain continues to be mined for silver to this day. Due to poor worker conditions, such as a lack of protective equipment against the constant inhalation of dust, many of the miners contract silicosis and have a life expectancy of around 40 years. The mountain is still a significant contributor to the city's economy, employing some 15,000 miners.
-- This entire paragraph is devoid of citations despite making numerous specific factual assertions.
"...portray a more accurate description of the human-labor issue..."
--Probably true, but this is opinion masquerading as fact. And what estimates do these historians come up with?