Southern Bolivia: Potosí

The town of Potosí was founded in 1545 after silver was discovered by the Spanish, soon producing fabulous wealth and becoming one of the largest cities, not just of the Americas but also the world with a population exceeding 200,000 people. Although at an altitude of 4070 metres above sea level, it became a glittering town, at least for the Spanish colonizers; the miners digging up this wealth worked in appalling and dangerous conditions, resulting in death for countless of these unfortunate people.

Reminders of this era are its colonial architecture with ornate churches and houses with balconies along narrow streets. Potosí's cathedral was built during the second half of the 16th century, finished in the early 1600 and reconstructed in the 19th century. The San Lorenzo Church has mestizo-Baroque portal carvings by 16th century artisans worth seeing. UNESCO declared the city of Potosí a "World Heritage Site" in December 1987 in recognition for its rich history and its wealth of colonial architecture.

	Main square in Potosí	The cathedral of Potosí	Interior cathedral	Three men of Potosí
	Women of Potosí	Shining shoes in Potosí	Shoeshine boy	Potosí Prefecture
	Street in Potosí	San Lorenzo church	Potosí street	Pedestrian street in Potosí

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