First Day in Potosi

Hola everyone! This past week has been packed with adventure for the Locklin family. Last Friday we said a sad goodbye to our grandmother in Cochabamba, where we had stayed for a month and a half, and flew to the city of Potosi, the capital city of the department of Potosi in Bolivia.

Potosi is a city dating back to the 1500's. Back then, it gained worldwide renown for the vast amounts of silver found in its Cerro Rico (the Rich Mountain). In fact, so much silver was found in this mountain looming large on Potosi's outskirts that it is said a bridge of silver could've been built spanning from Potosi to Madrid, Spain. All claims aside, Potosi was one of the largest and richest cities in the world during the 16th century due to the seemingly endless supply of the Cerro Rico's silver. During our two-day stay in the city, we saw many items made of silver that seemed frivolous, but the truth was, Potosi's inhabitants had so much silver they didn't know what to do with it all! Talking about people, remember I mentioned Potosi as one of the world's largest cities? Well, at its height, its population was more than that of London or Paris! In the end, the seemingly endless supply of silver was not endless. Slowly the silver dwindled, and with it Potosi's fame. Nowadays, it quaintly and proudly preserves its colonial heritage. The streets are so narrow that they're one-way, and many of its buildings maintain their colonial look. As we strolled through the city, cathedrals and convents seemed to appear on almost every block.

Finally in Potosi! The Cerro 

Rico is the mountain in the background.

After leaving our luggage at the hotel, and strolling around for a bit, we ate Kalaphurka for lunch. Kalaphurka is Potosi's specialty, a corn-based soup with meat, spices, and heat from a volcanic rock at its bottom. This heated volcanic rock causes the soup to boil as its served.

Kalaphurka is so delicious!!

Afternoon came, and with it a tour of the colonial mint in Potosi. It was very interesting to see how silver was turned into coins back then. Spain's and Potosi's wealth increased, but at a price. The foreign slaves and mules who drove those machines died within three to six months due to either overwork, the extremely high altitude, or mercury poisoning while refining the silver. Since we've been to La Paz before, the highest capital in the world, we're more or less used to high altitudes, but Potosi is even higher than La Paz at 13,420 feet, and much colder!

The courtyard of La Casa de la Moneda

 (the House of the Coin; the colonial mint in Potosi)

After our tour of this Spanish mint, we took a guided tour of the city's center. So ended our first day of sightseeing in the historical city of Potosi!

The main cathedral of Potosi

is in the background.