IN STEREO

It has even fallen before my eyes when we were walking behind the mountain. The dust cleared [and] we went up. The COMIBOL engineer told me that with all the ore people have taken, the peak of the mountain is going to sink. I saw how much has fallen; I was standing [there]. I also went when they did the foundation, but that has not solved anything. I was left alone, looking at the cement. There was a lot. It sank just like that. They are filling it with something heavy. I don’t know what it is, but that’s what’s going on. – Cathy

I am currently working as a professional [in] civil construction. I do the things I love the most: music and building. After the collapse started happening, I presented a proposal to an international fair. Well, I didn’t win, but I participated with this idea: for the sinking of the Cerro Rico, it is very difficult to preserve the conical shape. From my point of view, the solution is not going to be to give it a conical shape from above. The problem is inside, where they pull out the entrails. They are still taking them out and it’s still sinking. It is like an hourglass that is consumed. So what you have to do is put in a plug. The project was well supported: we did surveys, we backed it up with documentation. The idea that is being applied is wrong – plagiarised things do not go well. The material we wanted to use was plastoform foam to lighten the weight. I have seen they are putting in concrete, so the weight is going to be sinking – the concrete is heavier than the mineral. Of course, the material that was to be used to preserve it and give it the conical shape was more expensive. – Victor