Huanuni tin mine
The Huanuni tin mine is a Bolivian mine 60 km south of Oruro on the way to Potosí, the Villa Imperial de Potosí, as the city was known in colonial times. The mine is situated in Bolivia's mining heartland. It was originally owned from the turn of the 20th century by Don Vicente J. Orlandini, who belonged to one of Bolivia's famous tin mining families, and also owner of El Porvenir-Cataricahua; the mine was later sold to Simón Iturri Patiño, the leading tin baron. After the Catavi Mine, which was the largest underground tin mine in the world from 1930 to the late 1940s, Huanuni took its place until the end of the 20th century. Thousands of Bolivian mine workers still go underground every day. It was discovered by chance, and was mined for a while simply by axes as tools and burros (donkeys) as transport.
Due to the mining activities, the average lifespan of a person from the local community is about 46 years old.
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Coordinates: 18°17′02.94″S 66°49′39.05″W / 18.2841500°S 66.8275139°W