The Empathy Exams

La Plata Perdida

This first portion of this essay is told entirely in second person, coming across as a series of commands for the reader. Jamison begins by providing directions on how to get to the silver mines of Potosí. She notes its similarities and differences to other towns in Bolivia before beginning a tour of the silver mine. As they travel to the mine in their gear, Jamison notes decapitated goat heads can be found in the market.

At the market, the tourists are invited to purchase presents for the miners, like sticks of dynamite and soda. Six million men have worked in the mine, and the group passes by an entryway where the miners sleep, eat, and defecate between shifts. The tour guide speaks about the president, who has not made anything better despite promises to improve mining conditions. As they pass by miners, the group gives out gifts. They walk beneath a statue of Tío, a depiction of the devil many of the miners, although Catholic, worship while in the mines. Most of them are dead by 40 because of breathing in the dust they create while stripping silver from the mine. As the tour group emerges, Jamison reflects on the relief of sunshine and the shock at seeing herself covered in black dust, looking not unlike the miners.