Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
their rough cobble-stone pavements make one feel as if one were still living in the old colo-
nial days. One of the most remarkable buildings in South America is the old Spanish mint of
Potosí. In place of the modern steel girders enormous hardwood beams were brought up from
the forests of what is now the north of the Argentine, while others were painfully dragged up
by the Indian slaves from today practically unknown forest regions of Western Brazil. This
happened some three hundred years ago and one can guess how many lives must have been
lost, and how much suffering the transportation of these colossal beams must have caused.
Thanks to the almost everlasting quality of the wood used, the old minting machines have
remained in a perfect state of preservation. These ingenious machines were made entirely of
different hardwoods, and the various parts were cleverly joined together, or tied with strips
of raw hide. Mules supplied the driving power, treading a circle while pulling on a pole that
turned an upright shaft by means of which the machine was set into motion. Unfortunately
most of the relics and treasures of art disappeared out of the old mint during revolutionary
times some years ago, but in spite of that I consider the old
casa de monedas
of Potosí to be
one of the most interesting things I saw on the whole ride.
We experienced some very cold weather, and the day we started out again the mountains and
the town were clad in a mantle ofwhite. Inspite ofall the advice to the contrary Ihad decided
tofollowtheshortest trail overthemountains towardsLakePopo.Formerlythishadbeenone
of the principal Spanish gold trails, but today it has been almost forgotten and is only used by
Indians who occasionally come to town, but the majority of them who live on the hills or in
some of the small valleys among this labyrinth of mountains never venture as far as Potosí,
and are content to live and die where they were born.
