पोतोसी
Also known as Potosi, Villa Imperial de Potosí, Villa Imperial de Potosi
Potosí, known as Villa Imperial de Potosí in the colonial period, is the capital city and a municipality of the Department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the highest cities in the world at a nominal .
AI overview
Potosí is a city in Bolivia that was once a major center of Spanish colonial power and wealth, known as Villa Imperial de Potosí. Today it serves as the capital of the Department of Potosí and is notable for being one of the highest cities in the world.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Weather now
cached 7h ago3°clear sky
53% 1.6 m/s OpenWeatherMap
7-day forecast
via Open-Meteo
Place details
- Locality
- Potosí
- Region
- Potosí
- Country
- Bolivia
- Population
- 141,251
- Timezone
Travel guide
Understand
300px|thumbnail|Aerial photo of Potosí Potosí was founded in 1546 after the discovery of the rich silver deposits in the Cerro Rico. It soon became one of the wealthiest and largest cities in the Americas. The mines of the Cerro Rico are the richest mines in all of world history and may have produced 60,000 tons of silver. The name Potosí was adopted by San Luis de Potosí in Mexico to reflect their hopes for equal riches. It is reputed that at one time mules were shoed with silver due to the difficulty of getting supplies of iron to the city. Some of this wealth was used to build magnificent baroque churches (UNESCO listed sites) and monasteries. Hundreds of thousands of indigenous labourers and African slaves perished in mines in the three centuries of colonial rule. The miners were often below ground for weeks at a time. In 1800 the silver mines were depleted and tin became the major ore mined. They are now mining rare earths. All of this has led to a slow economic decline.
Get around
Taxis are generally cheap and plentiful around Potosí. However, always check the price with the driver. Some charge per person which could get you into arguments when it comes time to pay. Bus from Centro area to Main bus Terminal costs 1Bs. Taxis from main bus terminal between 3-5bs depending on your bargaining skills and the time of day.
See
El Cerro Rico, the "rich hill" where most of Potosí's silver was mined, is easily visible from many parts of the city, including some of the streets in the historic center, as the obvious big conical hill in shades of red and tan.
Do
right|thumb|250px|Miners at work
Eat
The cheapest meals can be found in the Mercado Central.
Drink
Cine de Universidad, Bolivar 893, for Hollywood movies. Spanish only.
Sleep
Residencial Felcar, Av Serrudo esq. Bustillos 345, (02)6224966. Another favorite spot by travellers. It has a nice, sunny patio and hot showers 08:00-22:00. Some of the singles are tiny. Single Bs. 25. Hotel Jerusalem with beautiful views over Potosí from breakfast room and from roof top.
Gallery (28)
On the map
3 mapped locations