Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
dependence. The square was formerly surrounded by the city's principal church, the
cabildo
(town hall) and the first royal mint, though sadly none of these has survived. On the square's
north side, the site of the original church is now occupied by the Neoclassical
catedral
, com-
pleted in 1836. Inside are striking wooden images of Christ carved in the sixteenth century
by renowned sculptor Gaspar de la Cueva, who was responsible for many of the city's other
religious statues; its museum was closed for restoration at the time of research but should re-
open within the next couple years. The site of the
cabildo
is now occupied by the department-
al
Prefectura
, a nineteenth-century administrative building whose simple carved stone por-
tico is all that remains of the colonial town hall; the site of the first Casa Real de la Moneda
(Royal Mint) is occupied by the late nineteenth-century
Palacio de Justicia
.
Plaza 6 de Agosto
On its eastern side, Plaza 10 de Noviembre adjoins another open space, the
Plaza 6 de
Agosto
. At its centre is a column commemorating the 1824 Battle of Ayacucho, which se-
cured Bolivian independence. On the north side is the
Teatro Omiste
, a former church, hos-
pital and convent completed in 1753, with a recessed mestizo-Baroque facade; it was con-
verted into a theatre in 1850. Along the east side of the plaza runs
El Boulevard
, a bustling
pedestrianized street.
Casa Real de la Moneda
Calle Ayacucho, half a block west of the Plaza 10 de Noviembre • Tues-Sat 9-10.30am & 2.30-5.30pm, Sun
9-10.30am • Guided tours Bs20 (1hr 30min-2hr), camera Bs20, video Bs40
The unmissable
Casa Real de la Moneda
(Royal Mint) is one of South America's most out-
standing examples of colonial civil architecture and home to Bolivia's best museum. The
vast, eclectic collection includes the original machinery used in the minting process; some of
Bolivia's finest colonial religious art; militaria; archeological artefacts; and a huge collection
of coins. Visits are by
guided tour
only: these start soon after the morning and afternoon
opening times and are conducted in Spanish, English or French depending on demand. It can
be very cold inside the complex, so wear something warm.
Constructed between 1759 and 1773 for over a million
pesos de oro
to replace the earlier
royal mint, La Moneda is a formidable construction, built as part of a concerted effort by the
Spanish crown to reform the economic and financial machinery of the empire in order to in-
crease its revenues. Along with Lima and Mexico City, Potosí was one of only three cities in
Spanish America authorized to produce
coins
. Occupying an entire city block, La Moneda is
enclosedby1m-thickstonewallswithonlyafewbarredwindows,givingittheappearanceof
a fortress. Inside is a two-storey complex of about two hundred rooms off five internal court-
yards. As well as housing all the
heavy machinery
needed to produce coins La Moneda also
housed troops, workers, slaves and senior royal officials, who were responsible for ensur-
ing that the Spanish crown received its ten-percent cut of all silver produced in Cerro Rico's
