The change in landscape upon entering Bolivia from Argentina was immediate. A gradual rise departing Northern Argentina quickly spiked upon entering Bolivia and within hours thrust us into the Altiplano, or “high plain.” The Altiplano is a place where elevations of 9,000 feet are considered lowlands, the mountains seem stubby though they are commonly over 19,000 feet, and operating passes of over 13,000 feet are the norm. More than just the elevation, the sheer diversity in this landscape is amazing -- over the course of a day you can find vast expanses of high desert filled with only rocks and sand, llama covered plains, snow-capped volcanoes, mineral lakes full of flamingos, and rock formations that look like they belong on another planet. Perhaps the most unique is the Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flat in the world. The Salar is so vast, flat, and featureless there are places you can’t see the horizon because the salt and sky merge almost seamlessly.

We spent five days traversing through this landscape, trapped in the confines of a 4 x 4 peering out the windows, desperately trying to take it all in. Happy for once not to be hiking since we went from roughly sea level to the heights of the Altiplano over two days; a change that meant walking left us gasping for oxygen. Our trip was mainly through sparsely inhabited areas that still had a surprisingly noticeable human footprint, mostly by way of old rock walls and llama corrals dotting the landscape. This isn’t to say all the human impacts were benign, as we also saw evidence from Bolivia’s mining past and present. The Altiplano is scattered with the remains of deserted gold mine towns, some dating back to the days of the Incans and worked into present history, active borax mines that use the mineral rich lakes, and laborers shoveling salt to be packaged from the surface of Salar de Uyuni itself. Even with all the resource extraction that has gone on in the Altiplano it still pales in comparison to what could be the “mother lode” of minerals for Bolivia: lithium. We had read and heard about the potential the Salar held, but it was hard to believe considering how much nothingness there was. After all, what the largest town along the edge of the Salar is best known for is as a jumping off for travelers looking to explore the Altiplano and its train graveyard. All that looks like it may change, and soon.

It is estimated that 50-70% of the world’s lithium reserves lie beneath the surface of the salt crust in the Salar de Uyuni. Not surprisingly, foreign companies and investors have been clamoring for the rights to mine the lithium for years. Given Bolivia’s long and fairly brutal history of resource exploitation from mining -- you don’t have to look any further than the Potosí mine, a place where an estimated 8 million people have died mining silver -- it’s understandable that Bolivia’s President, Evo Morales, has ardently resisted any foreign involvement. Instead he has been focused on finding ways for the lithium to be mined and processed by Bolivians, in Bolivia. The hope is that restricting foreign involvement in lithium mining would keep the profits and benefits in Bolivia. Of course, the valid question remains: does Bolivia have the technology and knowhow to effectively and efficiently extract the lithium?

Modern society is only becoming more dependent on long lasting rechargeable batteries, batteries that are primarily made with lithium. Most of our electronic devices, from cell phones, laptops, tablets, run on one. Lithium batteries are poised to take a huge leap with the next global trend around the corner, electric cars. Electric cars will not only create large scale environmental improvement but also increase the demand for lithium on a level of magnitudes. Unfortunately, even with the practical guarantee that lithium is the next big thing it still leaves the questions about whether or not Bolivia has the knowledge to effectively extract the ore unanswered. However, the question itself makes us wonder how many of the people asking the questions have ulterior motives. If given the chance foreign mining interests would likely take the majority of profits out of Bolivia, leaving the country in the same state it always has been: mineral rich but dirt poor.

Traveling through the Altiplano didn’t open up any magic box to understanding Bolivia’s ability to develop the Lithium. What we do know is that at this point it’s unclear how things are going to play out, but it seems that Evo has won the fight -- for now -- to keep development of the lithium resource in Bolivia. Our hope is that Bolivia is able to successfully develop the lithium and keep the majority of the wealth in its own borders. If the deposit does end up making Bolivia the “Saudi Arabia of Lithium,” as many predict, you have to hope it will improve the lives of the 30% of Bolivians that live below the poverty line and help offset any environmental damage likely to occur from the mining. As South America’s poorest country and one that in the past has consistently given up its resources to other countries, it’s a respectable goal to have.