The Incans thought Rhodochrosite was the blood of their kings and queens turned to stone. In this episode, Thomas returns to the Pasto Bueno Mine in the Peruvian Andes, a mine he had visited forty years earlier. Although this mine has always been known for its tungsten production, it also yields Peruvian Rhodochrosite, Quartz, and Tungsten crystals. During that first visit, he found these minerals both at the mine and in the homes of miners in a nearby village. Over the years, these minerals were taken to Lima helping establish Peruvian Rhodochrosite as a truly legendary mineral. To get to this high altitude mine, he must navigate dangerous roads, battle altitude sickness, and climb 200 feet into the mine to see a freshly exposed pocket of Quartz and Tungsten crystals.
