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"I am the rich Potosi,
Treasure of the world...
Object of covetousness of the kings»

The fame of Potosi is closely related to that of silver. The epigraph above, which comes from its blazon, reflects reality very well. Potosi was created in 1545 following the discovery of a silver seam in Cerro Rico. The mines appeared as the most productive and lucrative in the world. It is said that during the 16th century the Spanish crown extracted so much silver from the mines of Potosi, Bolivia, that a bridge could be built with it connecting Potosi all the way to Spain. This city located at 4090m became, towards the end of the XVIIIe, the richest and largest town of Latin America (200'000 people). The extracted silver financed the Spanish economy and the exuberances of its kings (the kings of Spain received the 20 %). The fate of Africans and Indians was terrible: they remained under ground during 4 months, sleeping, eating and working in the mines. Because of altitude and working conditions, one estimates at 8 million the number of minors that died during the period of Spanish colonization (from 1545 to 1825).

Today still, the working conditions inside the mines are those of the Middle Age. Besides the production of silver, today are also extracted tin, lead, zinc and copper. Before the beginning of the daily work, the minors chew together sheets of Coke to be prepared for the roughness of their work. Considering that the co-operative mines belong to them, the minors must produce themselves to earn their living and to buy their own material. This is why during the time their visit, tourists are requested to bring sheets of Coke, dynamite and acetylene to detect the mortal pockets of carbon monoxide.