Following the social perceptions of the time and before the beginning of the work, a priest was called to bless the project and the workers during a sanctification ceremony. At the same time, the fear of possible accidents made these workers superstitious. They wore a light blue bead to protect them from the evil eye and they even placed such a series of beads on their horses and donkeys used to transport materials. But the Americans participating in the works also had a few superstitions of their own. For instance, they did not use a drill if it had already been involved in an accident, and they forbade women from entering an unfinished tunnel, as one time an accident took place after a visit to the site.