IT's Dangerous

In conversation with a college friend who studied abroad in Bolivia, IT was fascinated to hear about a working mine, open to tourists, where visitors are encouraged to purchase and detonate their own dynamite. Ever skeptical, we trolled the Web and did in fact come across numerous accounts of visits to the Cerro Rico silver mine in Potosí. Sure enough, stalls at the entrance to the 461-year-old mine sell not only dynamite and fuses, but the coca leaves miners chew all day to stave off hunger and exhaustion while underground.

It seems most tours ask travelers to purchase dynamite and other items as gifts for the miners, though, not for their own use. However, at least one company  appears to demonstrate the explosives on their tours. We assume their business is booming.