Bolivia: Potosi – Exploring the City

Potosi is at 4,090 m / 13,420 ft above sea level, making it one of the highest cities in the world. The city is famous for the massive silver mountain Cerro Rico that looms over the city. From 1545 to the early 19th century, Potosí’s mines produced an estimated 60% of all silver mined in the world and the Spanish colonial mints turned it into coins that circulated globally. At its peak in the late 1500s–1600s, Potosí was one of the largest and richest cities in the world (larger than London or Paris at the time). Millions of indigenous and African forced laborers died in the mines under brutal conditions (estimates range from 4–8 million deaths over three centuries). Today, the silver is mostly gone; the mines now mainly produce zinc and tim in small amounts. The UNESCO-listed city has plenty of colonial architecture and churches to explore as well as the Casa Nacional de Moneda (National Mint Museum). Just don’t run about of breath walking around at this altitude!