POTOSI: A Past Wealth of Wealth

South America » Bolivia » Potosí Department » Potosi
August 23rd 2008

Published: September 12th 2008

Potosi. Famous for Cerro Rico, the scarred reddish hill whose proceeds propped up the Spanish Kingdom for over two centuries with silver. Unsurprisingly, there is a mass of history here from a fabulously wealthy era gone by. The colonial architecture is testament to the population and wealth explosion that occured around the mining activities. Even now its splendour can be seen everywhere. But ... Read Full Entry

Photos are below

Photos: 36, Displayed: 21

Comment Follow (2) Message

Adams

ArleneandBenj

Tearing asunder from a pleasant New Zealand urban environment, Benj and Arlene felt like a 'small' getaway, involving a bit of Tahiti (a few days), Easter Island (10 days), South America (6 months) and Mexico (2 months), visiting the Spanish/Iberian connection on route to the UK. Park or ride back to NZ via SE Asia, and work out how to get to Eastern Europe and Turkey in the process. Starting 20 June 2008, and not quite sure when to finish - probably when gripped either by poverty, or the need for familiarity - it´ll be the poverty. ... full info

Blog Options

Top Photos Blog Map

Print Version

[blog=315411]

[blogger=71270]

Welcome to the convent

This door received the well made up and dressed 'new entrant', only to be separated from her family and clothing, never to see either again. Note the surity camera to make sure the priests kept out.

Ornate gifts of Vanity!

It was customary for the families of 'inmates' to give gifts. Remarkably elaborate mirrors were among the gifts, only to be buried in the bowels of the building, as mirrors were a symbol of VANITY!

Mass production

Alter wafers for the priests(big ones), and for the rest (little ones). Curious ratio.

Latin alfabet anyone?

On the wall of the church attached to the convent.

Will it be the soup again tonight, Sister?

Plenty of agony by osmosis in this collection

We saw the light

No limit to the gore on display

The view of the congregation

After a reformation (in the 1900's?), this trellis replaced curtaining allowing the sisters to actually see the people.

Gorgeous library

The white label indicated the year...

320yr old Apple tree

Crafts

With little else to do, and surrounded by silence, these women turned out some remarkable craftwork.

Craft tools

At least these tools were optional

Refer 'The DaVinci Code' for description of the charming uses of this device. Suffice to say - self inflicted pain.

Resting place for exhausted nuns

This was the first of three stages of decomposition, with the body being moved from one to the final communal pit.

Tot: 0.167s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 12; qc: 51; dbt: 0.1141s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.1mb

Do not copy images or text from this page without requesting and receiving permission. All rights are reserved by the author and photographer.

Contact Adams (ArleneandBenj) - a lack of a response does not mean that you have permission to use material from this page.

POTOSI: A Past Wealth of Wealth

Copyright Notice: All Rights Reserved