Street scene, Potosi

There be silver in that there hill

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April 12th 2008
Potosí is a very strange place. One the one hand, it has some fantastic colonial architecture - and on the other hand it's incredibly poor. During the colonial period, silver was found in the nearby Cerro Rico, which made Potosí one of the biggest and wealthiest cities in the world at the time. All the wealth went to the Spaniards, whilst the people who were forced to work in the mines endured t ... read more

South America » Bolivia » Potosí Department » Potosi

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Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simon BOLIVAR, broke away from Spanish rule in 1825; much of its subsequent history has consisted of a series of nearly 200 coups and counter-coups. Comparatively democratic civilian rule was established in 1... ... read more