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Contribution short abstract:

The (re)commoning processes around the heritage site Cerro Rico are characterized by two different perceptions: as historical cultural heritage and active industrial heritage. Indigenous miners are trying to counteract Western appropriation, whereby a special form of tourism plays an important role.

Contribution long abstract:

Since colonial times, the Cerro Rico near Potosí in Bolivia, with its 500-year mining history and its significant influence on the development of global capitalism, has been subject to various uncommoning and recommoning processes.

While it was considered a sacred site (huaca) before the Spanish conquest, from the 16th century onwards, silver was mined in private mines mostly owned by Europeans, and Cerro Rico was reinterpreted as a site of capitalist exploitation. Attempts at indigenous recommoning had already been made during the colonial period.

After a brief historical overview of these processes, however, my presentation will focus on the current debate surrounding Cerro Rico as a heritage site, which has been ongoing especially since its designation as a “World Heritage Site in Danger” by the UNESCO in 2014. Cerro Rico is at high risk of collapse, which is why politicians and tourism companies are calling for an end to mining to preserve it. Many of the 12,000 miners organized in cooperatives reject this demand and argue that the Cerro Rico is only considered a heritage site because of the mining in past and present.

So while some speak of cultural heritage, many of those who speak of industrial heritage feel that they are being subjected to yet another process of uncommoning. I take a special look at tourist tours to active mines initiated and organized by miners themselves, which can be understood as a form of heritage sharing, as well as a recommoning of the discourse on mining in Potosí.