Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The seventeenth-century Iglesia de San Agustín was the church used by Potosí's substantial
Basque community in the colonial era. Only the simple but elegant Renaissance portico sur-
vives from the original structure, and the bare interior is rarely open.
Iglesia de San Lorenzo de Carangas
Bustillos and Heroes del Chaco • Free
Behind the Mercado Central stands the spectacular Iglesia de San Lorenzo de Carangas ,
whose splendid carved stone portal is perhaps the defining example of the mestizo-Baroque
architectural style in Potosí. One of Potosí's oldest churches, it was built in the mid-sixteenth
century and initially called La Anunciación and used only by the Spanish. The church was
renamed a few decades later when it became the parish church for mitayos belonging to the
Carangas tribe.
The richly decorated doorway was created in the eighteenth century, when the church
was thoroughly remodelled. It features fantastically intricate floral patterns intertwined with
twisting grape-laden vines and angels' faces, while the inner arch on either side of the door is
supported by bizarre carved figures of bare-breasted women. Stranger still are the mermaids
who strum guitars above the doorway: they are thought to represent creatures who figure in
legends of the powerful mountain god Thunupa.
Iglesia de San Bernardo
On the south side of the Plaza del Estudiante • Free
From the Mercado Central, Calle Oruro runs northwest to the university and the Plaza del
Estudiante, which is flanked by two colonial churches. The bulky Iglesia de San Bernardo
was built from uncut stone blocks and completed in 1731. It now houses the workshops used
in the ongoing restoration of Potosí's historic buildings, and though it's not officially open to
the public, you can usually have a peep inside.
Iglesia de Jerusalén
On the north side of the Plaza del Estudiante • Mon-Fri 8.30am-noon & 3-6pm, Sat 9am-noon • Free
The small, late seventeenth-century Iglesia de Jerusalén has been converted into a museum
featuring yet more colonial religious art. Highlights include an extravagant mestizo-Baroque
retable covered in gold leaf, and an ornate carved pulpit decorated with tiny pictures painted
on bronze by Melchor Peréz de Holguín. The most unusual painting is a portrait of Francisco
de Aguirre , a wealthy mine owner who turned his back on worldly goods to become a priest,
and is now buried in the walls of the church.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: POTOSÍ
By plane The nearest airport with scheduled flights is at Sucre, which is easily accessible by
bus.
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