Potosí, Bolivia
May 3rd, 2009 | Thomas | South America, Travel | 4 Comments »
It is claimed Potosi is the highest city in the world at 4,090 m (13,420 feet). It lies beneath the Cerro de Potosí — sometimes referred to as the Cerro Rico (”rich mountain”) — a mountain popularly conceived of as being made entirely of silver ore, which has always dominated the city.
The Spanish founded Potosí in 1545, then set about plundering the wealth of Cerro Rico using slave labour. Hundreds of thousands of people are thought to have died as much from the altitude and cold as from the harsh conditions inside the mines. Potosi soon produced fabulous wealth, becoming one of the largest cities in the Americas and the world with a population exceeding 200,000 people.
Potosí is now a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. I spent a couple of nights here, struggling for breath due to the altitude, and wondering around the town’s 2,000 colonial buildings, and a couple of the museums including the old mint.
I didn’t go in the mine, I was too scared.
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4 Responses to “Potosí, Bolivia”
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May 4th, 2009 @ 9:42 pm
I hope this isn’t a bad question here but who did your blog theme? Looks good.
May 5th, 2009 @ 2:34 pm
Hi Howard,
Thanks! It is based on the Elements of SEO theme available from here:
http://www.alibiproductions.com/html/elements-of-seo.html
I have modified it quite a lot myself too…
Tom
May 5th, 2009 @ 8:08 pm
I am happy that you didn´t go to the mines because I remember how much fun you had with the underground tunnels in Colombia
Great pictures from Uyuni by the way.
Tina
May 6th, 2009 @ 9:37 pm
brother! you really should be a photographer or cinematographer. You’re very talented!