Potosi was one of the largest and wealthier cities in America

Did you know that during the colonial period the most populous city in America was neither Mexico nor New York, but Potosi in Bolivia?! It had 160,000 inhabitants and their wealth came from the silver extraction from a mine called “Cerro Rico”.

City of Potosi in Bolivia
City of Potosi in Bolivia
Mines in Potosi, Bolivia
Mines in Potosi, Bolivia
Cerro Rico, the mountain that has been mined in Potosi for hundreds of years, looms over the city.
Cerro Rico, the mountain that has been mined in Potosi for hundreds of years, looms over the city.

By Angela B

Photo 1+2:maddyswelt, Photo 3:jennifrog

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