Potosí – A City Built on Silver

Leaving the Salar de Uyuni, the enormous flat plains despite their altitude, I was now ready for even higher ground. The journey continued to Potosí, one of the highest cities in the world, at 4,090 metres above sea level.

Potosí is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognised for its extraordinary history and colonial heritage. By the beginning of the 17th century, it had become one of the world’s largest cities. It produced enormous quantities of silver for the Spanish Empire. I had read about this before planning my trip, and I knew that the city had many buildings dating from the Spanish colonial period.

I saw very little of these buildings when I first arrived by bus, climbing up the hills. All the houses here seemed to be built of red brick, and the place looked rather poor. The bus terminal is quite far down in the city, so I had to walk. I knew I had about 30 minutes to the hotel. It turned into some long minutes, partly because I had to walk through busy markets, but the hardest part was that carrying a backpack at this altitude really takes it out of you. I felt like I had to walk in tiny steps.

I also kept thinking: Where is all the wealth and the impressive cultural heritage? It was only when I reached the upper part of the city that it began to appear. Here I came across old palaces, large churches and plenty of evidence of the city’s former greatness.

After checking into the hotel, it was time to start exploring. Unfortunately, Bolivia is not very good at keeping Google Maps up to date. So I had to expect a few wrong turns, especially when looking for cafés. I was told that many places had closed during the pandemic and had never been removed from the maps.

But the large, impressive old buildings were still there, and so were most of the museums, so it was easy enough to find my way around. The most important one is the Casa Nacional de la Moneda, the National Mint of Bolivia. This was where enormous quantities of silver were turned into coins before being sent to Spain. The building, which is now a museum, was used for the production of silver coins from 1773 until the mid-20th century. You have to join a guided tour, and it was very interesting.

There are organised tours that take you down into the silver mines, but I decided to skip that. Instead, I was quite happy just looking up at the impressive Cerro Rico, the mountain that once contained enormous amounts of valuable silver.

I don’t know if these countries simply have an unusually large number of festivals, but somehow I seem to have arrived at another one here in Potosí. On Friday evening, the main square was packed with people, music and different performances. Many were dressed in traditional clothing. It was colourful and energetic.

As in many places in South America, the Catholic Church has had a major influence on the culture. Most cities have their monasteries and large churches. I visited the Museo Santa Teresa, a former small enclosed convent with many interesting exhibits. I was fascinated by all the tiny “dresses and capes” that the nuns had embroidered for the small Madonna figures. The dolls’ hair was also real hair, donated by the nuns.

One of the things that surprised me most was learning that here in Bolivia, the Virgin Mary has a military rank equivalent to a general and admiral. So, in some contexts, she is dressed in a military uniform inside the church. Well, you learn something new every day.

I think Potosí is overlooked by many people travelling through Bolivia, but for me, it was a wonderful encounter. It reminded me a little of Ouro Preto in Brazil, but without quite so many Baroque churches. Once you get past the red brick, Potosí is a historical masterpiece.