Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
mining in Potosí run as high as nine
million, making the mines of Potosí
a central factor in the demographic
collapse that swept the Andes under
Spanish rule.
America, it is now home to one of the
best museums in Bolivia. The collection
includes the original minting machinery,
some of Bolivia's finest colonial religious
art, militaria, archeological artefacts and
a display of coins and banknotes.
Built between 1759 and 1773,
La Moneda is a truly formidable
construction, built as part of a concerted
effort by the Spanish crown to reform
the economic and financial machinery
of the empire to increase revenues. The
rambling two-storey complex of about
two hundred rooms is set around five
internal courtyards, and housed troops,
workers, African slaves and the senior
royal officials responsible for overseeing
operations. A vital nerve centre of
Spanish imperial power in the Andes,
it also served as a prison, treasury and
near-impregnable stronghold in times
of disorder.
WHAT TO SEE AND DO
Potosí is a treasure-trove of colonial art
and architecture, with hundreds of
well-preserved buildings, including some
of the finest churches in Bolivia.
2
Plaza 10 de Noviembre
The centre of the city is the Plaza 10 de
Noviembre , a pleasant tree-shaded square
with a small replica of the Statue of
Liberty, erected in 1926 to commemorate
Bolivian independence. On the north
side of the square, the site of the original
church (which collapsed in 1807) is now
occupied by the twin-towered Catedral ,
completed in Neoclassical style in 1836.
To the east of the square lies the Plaza 6
de Agosto , at the centre of which is a
column commemorating the Battle of
Ayacucho in 1824, which secured
Bolivian independence early the
following year.
La Torre de la Compañia de Jesus
On Calle Ayacucho, west of the Casa
Real de la Moneda, stands La Torre de la
Compañia de Jesus (Mon-Fri 8am-noon
& 2-6pm, Sat & Sun 8.30am-12.30pm
& 2.30-6.30pm; B$10), a bell tower
which is all that now remains of a Jesuit
church originally founded in 1581.
Completed in 1707 and recently restored,
the grandiose tower is one of the finest
eighteenth-century religious monuments
in Bolivia and a sublime example of the
Mestizo-Baroque style. You can climb to
the top, from where there are excellent
views of the city and Cerro Rico.
Casa Real de la Moneda
West of the Plaza 10 de Noviembre on
Calle Ayacucho stands the unmissable
Casa Real de la Moneda , or Royal Mint
(Tues-Sat 9-10.30am & 2.30-5.30pm,
Sun 9-10.30am; B$20 includes tours in
Spanish or English; W bolivian.com/cnm).
One of the most outstanding examples
of colonial civil architecture in all South
CERRO RICO
Immediately south of Potosí the near-perfect cone of Cerro Rico rises above the city,
pockmarked with the entrances to the thousands of mines that lead deep into its entrails.
Operators in town run regular tours of the mines, but be warned that this is an unpleasant and
dangerous environment, where safety precautions are largely left to fate; anyone suffering from
claustrophobia, heart or breathing problems is advised against entering. Some also question
the ethics of making a tourist attraction of a workplace where conditions are so appalling.
Tours of the mines begin with a visit to the miners' market on and around Plaza El Calvario.
Here you can buy coca leaves, dynamite, black-tobacco cigarettes, pure cane alcohol and fizzy
soft drinks as gifts for the miners you'll be visiting. Tours should cost B$70-80 per person.
Recommended operators are Koala Tours (Ayacucho 5 T 02 6222092, E koalabolivia
@hotmail.com), with trips run by experienced multilingual guides, and Big Deal (Bustillos
1092 near the Casa de Moneda T 02 6230478, T 71835516, E bigdealtours@gmail.com,
W bigdealtours.blogspot.co.uk), whose guides are ex-miners.
 
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