Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Potosí's star attraction and one of South America's finest museums. Potosí's first mint was
constructed on the present site of the Casa de Justicia in 1572 under orders from the
Viceroy of Toledo. This, its replacement, is a vast and strikingly beautiful building that
takes up a whole city block. It was built between 1753 and 1773 to control the minting of
colonial coins; legend has it that when the king of Spain saw the bill for its construction,
he exclaimed 'that building must be made of silver' (expletive presumably deleted). These
coins, which bore the mint mark 'P,' were known as
potosís.
The building has walls that are more than a meter thick and it has not only functioned
as a mint but also done spells as a prison, a fortress and, during the Chaco War, the
headquarters of the Bolivian army. As visitors are ushered into a courtyard from the en-
trance, they're greeted by the sight of a stone fountain and a freaky mask of Bacchus,
hung there in 1865 by Frenchman Eugenio Martin Moulon for reasons known only to him.
In fact, this aberration looks more like an escapee from a children's funfair, but it has be-
come a town icon (known as the
mascarón
).
Apart from the beauty of the building itself, there's a host of historical treasures. They
include a fine selection of religious paintings from the Potosí school, culminating in
La
Virgen del Cerro,
a famous anonymous work from the 18th century, as well as the im-
mense assemblies of mule-driven wooden cogs that served to beat the silver to the width
required for the coining. These were replaced by steam-powered machines in the 19th
century. The last coins were minted here in 1953.
The guided tour is long and the temperatures inside the building are chilly, so rug up.
Although there are English and French tours available on request, the quality of the Span-
ish one is higher and the visit more comprehensive, so it's worth doing even if your levels
are fairly limited.
Cooperative Mines
A visit to the cooperative mines will almost certainly be one of the most memorable ex-
periences you'll have in Bolivia, providing an opportunity to witness working conditions
that are among the most grueling imaginable. We urge you not to underestimate the
dangers involved in going into the mines and to consider the voyeuristic factor involved in
seeing other people's suffering. You may be left stunned and/or ill.
Dozens of Potosí operators offer guided tours through the mines. The best tour guides
tend to be ex-miners, who know the conditions and are friendly with the men at work. The
safety standards are hit-and-miss; you really are going down at your own risk.
Mine visits aren't easy and the low ceilings and steep, muddy passageways are best vis-
ited in your worst clothes. You'll feel both cold and hot at times, there will likely be a bit
of crawling through narrow shafts and the altitude can be extremely taxing. On some
MINES
