Off the Beaten Path: Bolivia

City of Potosí
In the 16th century, this area was regarded as the world’s largest industrial complex. The extraction of silver ore relied on a series of hydraulic mills. The site consists of the industrial monuments of the Cerro Rico, where water is provided by an intricate system of aqueducts and artificial lakes; the colonial town with the Casa de la Moneda; the Church of San Lorenzo; several patrician houses; and the barrios mitayos, the areas where the workers lived.

Potosí is the one example of the best major silver mine in modern times. The city and the region conserve spectacular traces of this activity: the industrial infrastructure comprised 22 reservoirs, from which a forced flow of water produce the hydraulic power to activate the 140 mills to grind silver ore. The ground ore was then amalgamated with mercury in refractory earthen kilns called huayras or guayras. It was then moulded into bars and stamped with the mark of the Royal Mint. From the mine to the Royal Mint, the whole production chain is conserved, along with dams, aqueducts, milling centers and kilns. Production continued until the 18th century, slowing down only after the country's independence in 1825.

The site consists of the industrial monuments of the Cerro Rico, where water is provided by an intricate system of aqueducts and artificial lakes; the colonial town with the Casa de la Moneda; the Church of San Lorenzo; several patrician houses; and the barrios mitayos, the areas where the workers lived.

The Casa de la Moneda (House of the Mint), in the center of the city close to Republic Square, was constructed between 1753 and 1773. The first mint in Potosí was built during the second half of the 18th century to control minting activities right where the silver was extracted. The Museo de la Casa de la Moneda has exhibits on silver and gold coining as well as colonial paintings. 

The church of San Francisco was the first church built during the colonial period; it houses the patron of Potosí, El Senor de la Vera Cruz. The church of San Lorenzo was built in 1548; it is an outstanding example of dressed stone in the local Baroque style. Museo de San Francisco has samples of religious art which includes works by Perez de Holguín.

On December 11, 1987, the UNESCO declared the city of Potosí a "World Heritage Site" in recognition for its rich history and its wealth of colonial architecture.

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