Potosi

When on a Bolivia vacation, you can visit one of the highest cities in the world, Potosí, located in southern Bolivia, beneath Cerro de Potosí, a mountain that was once rich in silver helping cement the city’s importance during the New World Spanish Empire.

 Potosí was founded in 1545 as a mining town quickly becoming one of the largest and wealthiest cities in the Americas and the world. Many indigenous people as well as African slaves were used to working the mines facing poor conditions and in many cases, death. By 1672 a mint was built to coin the silver and for many Europeans, Potosí became a mythical city of riches. Early in the 19th century, output began to slow down and tin, then eventually zinc and lead replaced silver preventing Potosí from slipping into obscurity.