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!
POTOSI: A Past Wealth of Wealth August 23rd 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.
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South America » Bolivia » Potosí Department » Potosi 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
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.
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