Potosi, The Highest City In The World
The old mining town of Potosi, is at an altitude of nearly 3967 meters, said to be the highest city in the world. It was also once one of the largest.
Potosi lies beneath the Cerro de Potosí, a mountain of silver ore, which has always dominated the city and was the source of much of the world's silver between the 16th and the 19th centuries. It is, as a result, sometimes referred to by locals as the Cerro Rico, meaning rich mountain. UNESCO declared the city a World Heritage Site because of its rich history and Spanish architecture. If your travels take you through Potosi, be sure to visit some of the town's numerous atmospheric colonial churches and don't miss the mining museum which provides an invaluable, and often harrowing, insight into what was life was like for the silver miners.
Although not quite the thriving metropolis that it once was, visiting Potosi is still breath-taking, both literally and figuratively.
Potosi lies beneath the Cerro de Potosí, a mountain of silver ore, which has always dominated the city and was the source of much of the world's silver between the 16th and the 19th centuries. It is, as a result, sometimes referred to by locals as the Cerro Rico, meaning rich mountain. UNESCO declared the city a World Heritage Site because of its rich history and Spanish architecture. If your travels take you through Potosi, be sure to visit some of the town's numerous atmospheric colonial churches and don't miss the mining museum which provides an invaluable, and often harrowing, insight into what was life was like for the silver miners.
Although not quite the thriving metropolis that it once was, visiting Potosi is still breath-taking, both literally and figuratively.
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"Great" in a sense that one of the most profoundly shocking trips you can make in Potosi is go with one of the guides into the mines. Even on the 1st level underground, the conditions take your breath away, seeing how the workers carry their loads from the 4th underground level out of the mountain. No wonder they chew coca before (and during) going into the mountain. Humbling experience !
claudiawyder, Liestal 10/7/2008
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