Potosí

Potosí, at around 4,000 metres, is one of the world's highest large cities. It is located in the Potosí Department of Bolivia.

Potosí was founded in 1546 after the discovery of the rich silver deposits in the Cerro Rico. It soon became one of the wealthiest and largest cites in the Americas. The mines of the Cerro Rico are the richest mines in all of world history and may have produced 60,000 tons of silver. The name Potosí was adopted by San Luis de Potosí in Mexico to reflect their hopes for equal riches. It is reputed that at one time mules were shoed with silver due to the difficulty of getting supplies of iron to the city. Some of this wealth was used to build magnificent baroque churches (UNESCO listed sites) and monasteries. Hundreds of thousands of indigenous labourers and African slaves perished in mines in the three centuries of colonial rule. The miners were often below ground for weeks at a time. In 1800 the silver mines were depleted and tin became the major ore mined. Recently they are mining rare earths. All of this has led to a slow economic decline.

The wealthy history of Potosí is still reflected in the narrow streets, colonial mansions and the many churches, which make the city a UNESCO World Heritage site.

• Casa Nacional de Moneda. Cl. Ayacocha s/n, is de former royal mint of Spain, which now houses one of the best museums in South America. A visit is by guided tour (English and French if there is enough demand) which takes about 2 hr. The museum has a collection of religious art, contempary art, local minerals, and well-preserved artifacts covering several hundred years of technologies from it's time as the mint. Entrance is Bs. 40 for foreigners and Bs. 10 for Bolivians.
• Convento de Santa Teresa, Calle Chichas (Bottom end of Calle Ayacucho. Tours (in Spanish only) give a good explanation of the life and work of the Carmelite nuns and their monastery. Very little flagellation (LP). Bs 21.
• Torre de la Compañia de Jesus, Calle Ayaucho (Half a block from the square. M-Sa 08:00-20:00; Su 09:00-17:00. Nice views of the surroundings from above. Bs. 10.
• Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace.

Casa Nacional de Moneda. Cl. Ayacocha s/n, is de former royal mint of Spain, which now houses one of the best museums in South America. A visit is by guided tour (English and French if there is enough demand) which takes about 2 hr. The museum has a collection of religious art, contempary art, local minerals, and well-preserved artifacts covering several hundred years of technologies from it's time as the mint. Entrance is Bs. 40 for foreigners and Bs. 10 for Bolivians.

Convento de Santa Teresa, Calle Chichas (Bottom end of Calle Ayacucho. Tours (in Spanish only) give a good explanation of the life and work of the Carmelite nuns and their monastery. Very little flagellation (LP). Bs 21.

Torre de la Compañia de Jesus, Calle Ayaucho (Half a block from the square. M-Sa 08:00-20:00; Su 09:00-17:00. Nice views of the surroundings from above. Bs. 10.

Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace.

• Mining tour. A visit to Potosí cannot be mentioned without a visit to one of the cooperative mines. It is a kind of poverty tourism that many tourists are eager to embrace. It's a shocking experience as the methods of working haven't changed much since the colonial times. Working conditions are terrible: most miners die of silicosis in their forties. Still, many people don't have another choice and around 10,000 people work in the mines. A tour starts with a visit to the miners' market to buy gifts for the miners like coca leaves, drinks, cigarettes or dynamite. You will then visit an ore refinery plant where the miners sell whatever deposits they manage to collect. Then you head to the mines, where a typical visit will have you walking and crawling through it for about 2~3 hr. You can talk, take photographs and share your gifts with the miners.
  Taking a tour of one of the cooperative mines is still a good way to get a sense of the social price paid for the mineral wealth of the few. The dust is supposed to contain silicon that leads to silicosis (wear a disposable mask!) among the miners. Water dropping from the walls and ceiling is said to contain arsenic and cyanide. You can see asbestos fibers in the rock walls. Many of the mine props are snapped and on my tour in 2003 there was a minor ceiling cave-in that forced us to wait a bit before being able to exit the mine. One very interesting aspect of the mine was the little side chamber near the entrance to the mine that contained a statue of "El Tio," a diabolic figure that the miners make offerings to. They say that God may rule aboveground, but that El Tio is in charge down below.
  Btw. they don't do explosions just for tourists, but for the sake of the mine. People with claustrophobic tendencies, be wary, Silver Mine Tours 28/01/10, takes you deep into the guts of this rabbit warren of a mine. It seems the safety aspect is very low, actually totally missing. There are many tour agencies in Potosí offering this tour, shop around before buying. The price is around Bs. 80-130.

Mining tour. A visit to Potosí cannot be mentioned without a visit to one of the cooperative mines. It is a kind of poverty tourism that many tourists are eager to embrace. It's a shocking experience as the methods of working haven't changed much since the colonial times. Working conditions are terrible: most miners die of silicosis in their forties. Still, many people don't have another choice and around 10,000 people work in the mines. A tour starts with a visit to the miners' market to buy gifts for the miners like coca leaves, drinks, cigarettes or dynamite. You will then visit an ore refinery plant where the miners sell whatever deposits they manage to collect. Then you head to the mines, where a typical visit will have you walking and crawling through it for about 2~3 hr. You can talk, take photographs and share your gifts with the miners.
Taking a tour of one of the cooperative mines is still a good way to get a sense of the social price paid for the mineral wealth of the few. The dust is supposed to contain silicon that leads to silicosis (wear a disposable mask!) among the miners. Water dropping from the walls and ceiling is said to contain arsenic and cyanide. You can see asbestos fibers in the rock walls. Many of the mine props are snapped and on my tour in 2003 there was a minor ceiling cave-in that forced us to wait a bit before being able to exit the mine. One very interesting aspect of the mine was the little side chamber near the entrance to the mine that contained a statue of "El Tio," a diabolic figure that the miners make offerings to. They say that God may rule aboveground, but that El Tio is in charge down below.
Btw. they don't do explosions just for tourists, but for the sake of the mine. People with claustrophobic tendencies, be wary, Silver Mine Tours 28/01/10, takes you deep into the guts of this rabbit warren of a mine. It seems the safety aspect is very low, actually totally missing. There are many tour agencies in Potosí offering this tour, shop around before buying. The price is around Bs. 80-130.

• The cheapest meals can be found in the Mercado Central.
• Sky Room, Calle Bolivar 701, 3rd floor, +591 622 0138. Nice view of Cerro Rico 4 course lunch Bs. 15.
• Doña Eugenia, Corner of Ortega and Santa Cruz (near the cemetery), to try the famous Kalapurka soup (spicy soup served hot with a volcanic rock). It is a Potosí institution. Take a cab.
• Sumaj Orcko, Cl. Cobija 34, serves big plates (Bs. 30-35), also a good place for lunch (Bs. 15).
• Chifa Rosa, Cl. Cobija 38, cheap but not special chinese food.
• Pasteleria Cherrys, Padillo 8, for pastels and breakfast.
• Tenedor de Plata, Cnr Tarija & Linares. Upmarket restaurant with great food at reasonable prices, start with the great house salad for 12B

The cheapest meals can be found in the Mercado Central.

Sky Room, Calle Bolivar 701, 3rd floor, +591 622 0138. Nice view of Cerro Rico 4 course lunch Bs. 15.

Doña Eugenia, Corner of Ortega and Santa Cruz (near the cemetery), to try the famous Kalapurka soup (spicy soup served hot with a volcanic rock). It is a Potosí institution. Take a cab.

Sumaj Orcko, Cl. Cobija 34, serves big plates (Bs. 30-35), also a good place for lunch (Bs. 15).

Chifa Rosa, Cl. Cobija 38, cheap but not special chinese food.

Pasteleria Cherrys, Padillo 8, for pastels and breakfast.

Tenedor de Plata, Cnr Tarija & Linares. Upmarket restaurant with great food at reasonable prices, start with the great house salad for 12B

• Cine de Universidad, Bolivar 893, for Hollywood movies. Spanish only.

Cine de Universidad, Bolivar 893, for Hollywood movies. Spanish only.

Potosí is relatively safe. But, like most other places in Bolivia it is advised not to walk alone at night outside the main Plaza.

• Sucre – The constitutional capital and seat of judiciary. Also, a popular tourist magnet with lots to see and do including hiking, partying and seeing dinosaur footprints.
• Uyuni – A tourist town, which serves as the main gateway to Salar de Uyuni besides San Pedro de Atacama in Chile.
• La Paz – The administrative capital and seat of the government. Gateway to the highest climbable mountains in Bolivia, Lake Titicaca and the Death Road.
• Oruro – Famous for its carnival and a good jumping-off if you intend to head towards Sajama National Park.
• Tupiza – With interesting trails and sights nearby, and gateway for some Salar de Uyuni tours and into Argentina.
• Tarija – Famous for its wine production and pleasant climate. The Festival of Wine is held annually in Tarija.