The Mountain That Eats Men

This is Cerro Rico, also known as “The Mountain That Eats Men.” At its base is the city of Potosí. At 13,343 ft, or 4,067 m, it is one of the highest cities anywhere on Earth. And at that elevation, with an almost desert-like climate, it seems like an unsuitable place for such a large city, and it is. It exists for one reason and one reason only. In 1545, a massive silver deposit was discovered inside the mountain at the height of the Spanish Empire. Within decades, Potosí had become one of the largest and wealthiest cities in the world. But for the men forced to squeeze into its tight tunnels, it was often a death sentence. In this video, we’re going to look at the mountain, the mine within it, the men forced to work there, and the horrific conditions that have existed there for almost 500 years continuously. Even today, some estimates put the annual death toll at 300 men per year. This is the story of the deadliest mine in history, by far and the mountain that eats men. Playlists ➡️ https://hypeddit.com/wihjky Patreon ➡️ https://www.patreon.com/ScaryInteresting Podcast ➡️ https://www.spreaker.com/show/scary-interesting-podcast STORY SUGGESTION FORM ➡️ https://shorturl.at/mqAK3 or email [email protected] Discord ➡️ https://discord.com/invite/6bFs3muTxK Instagram ➡️ https://www.instagram.com/scaryinterestingstories/?hl=en Attributions/Special Thanks for Photographs/Videos/Etc: Jenny Mealing, Fondo Antiguo de la Biblioteca de la Universidad de Sevilla, Wellcome Collection, Grand Canyon NPS, ralph repo, James St. John, Martin St-Amant, Pavel Špindler, MOs810, Albert Herring/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region Incredible visuals by Hubert Poul https://hubertpoul.com/ Incredible Ambient Songs by CoAg https://www.youtube.com/@co.agmusic1823 This video contains light dramatic reenactment but NO actual footage or pictures of anyone being harmed or who has been harmed. Great care has been taken to blur all images Writing and research by Jay Adams https://instagram.com/jayadamsdigital?igshid=MzMyNGUyNmU2YQ== And a huge thank you to the Scary Interesting team of writers, editors, captioners, and everyone else who make this channel possible. Image(s) and/or video used under license from Shutterstock.com DISCLAIMER: The pictures, audio, and video used in the videos on this channel are a mix of paid stock, by attribution, royalty-free, public domain, or otherwise fall under the guidelines of fair use. No copyright infringement is intended. All rights belong to their respective owners. If you are or represent the copyright owner of materials used in this video and have an issue with the use of said material, please send an email to [email protected]. I will respond immediately.