Sights in Potosí
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Cooperative Mines
A visit to the Cooperative Mines will almost surely be one of the most memorable experiences you'll have in Bolivia, providing an opportunity to witness working conditions that are among the most grueling imaginable. You may be left stunned and/or ill.In the cooperative mines on Cerro Rico, all work is done with primitive tools, and underground temperatures vary from below freezing - the altitude is over 4200m - to a stifling 45°C on the fourth and fifth levels.
Miners, exposed to all sorts of noxious chemicals and gases, normally die of silicosis pneumonia within 10 to 15 years of entering the mines.
Contrary to popular rumor, women are admitted to many cooperative mines…
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Museo & Convento de Santa Teresa
The fascinating Santa Teresa Convent was founded in 1685 and is still home to a small community of Carmelite nuns. One of them is an architect, and has directed a superb restoration project that has converted part of the sizeable building into a museum. The excellent guided tour (Spanish & English) explains how girls of fifteen from wealthy families entered the convent, getting their last glimpse of parents and loved ones at the door.
Entry was a privilege, paid for with a sizeable dowry; a good portion of these offerings are on display in the form of religious artwork.
There are numerous fine pieces, including a superb Madonna by Castilian sculptor Alonso Cano, and severa…
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Rhythms of Life
Australian artist Andrew Rogers, not content with sculpture on a conventional scale, has included Potosí as one of the sites for his fascinating global 'Rhythms of Life' project, where enormous, fluid, powerful, stone forms have been built in sites as diverse as Sri Lanka, Australia, and Israel.
Rogers has endowed Potosí with three geoglyphs. Two adjacent ones, Circles and Presence, have their inspiration in ancient rock art found in the Potosí area. The third, on a hill near Cerro Rico, and the artistic centerpiece, is a complex, inspirational abstract figure named Rhythms of Life and derived from a Rogers bronze sculpture in Melbourne. But on a massive scale - the stru…
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Ingenio Dolores
On the banks (la ribera) of the Río Huana Mayu, in the upper Potosí barrios of Cantumarca and San Antonio, are some fine ruined examples of the ingenios, or smelters. These were formerly used to extract silver from the ore hauled out of Cerro Rico. There were originally 82 ingenios along 15km of the stream. Some remaining ones date back to the 1570s and were in use until the mid-1800s.
Each ingenio consists of a floor penetrated by shallow wells (buitrones) where the ore was mixed with mercury and salt. The ore was then ground by millstones that were powered by water that was impounded in the 32 artificial Lagunas de Kari Kari.
The Ingenio Dolores, on Calle Mejillones, s…
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Calle Quijarro
North of the Iglesia de San Agustín, Calle Quijarro narrows as it winds between a wealth of colonial buildings, many with doorways graced by old family crests. It's thought that the bends in Calle Quijarro were an intentional attempt to inhibit the cold winds that would otherwise whistle through and chill everything in their path. This concept is carried to extremes on the Pasaje de Siete Vueltas - 'the passage of seven turns'.
During colonial times Calle Quijarro was the street of potters, but it's now known for its hat makers. One millinery worth visiting is that of Don Antonio Villa Chavarría (Quijarro 41).
The intersection of Calles Quijarro and Modesto Omiste, furth…
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National Mint
The National Mint is Potosí’s star attraction and one of South America’s finest museums. Potosí’s first mint was constructed on the present site of the Casa de Justicia in 1572 under orders from the Viceroy of Toledo. This, its replacement, is a vast and strikingly beautiful building that takes up a whole city block. It was built between 1753 and 1773 to control the minting of colonial coins; legend has it that when the king of Spain saw the bill for its construction, he exclaimed ‘that building must be made of silver’ (expletive presumably deleted). These coins, which bore the mint mark ‘P, ’ were known as potosís.
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La Catedral
Construction of La Catedral was initiated in 1564 and finally completed around 1600. The original building lasted until the early 19th century, when it mostly collapsed. Most of what is now visible is the neoclassical construction, and the building’s elegant lines represent one of Bolivia’s best exemplars of that style. The interior décor represents some of the finest in Potosí but it’s currently closed for a face-lift. You can visit the bell tower for nice views of the city.
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La Capilla de Nuestra Señora de Jerusalén
La Capilla de Nuestra Señora de Jerusalén is a little-known Potosí gem. Originally built as a humble chapel in honor of the Virgen de Candelaria, it was rebuilt more lavishly in the 18th century. It houses a fine gilt Baroque retablo - the Virgin has pride of place - and a magnificent series of paintings of Biblical scenes by anonymous artists of the Potosí school. The impressive pulpit has small paintings by Melchor Pérez de Holguín. Entry is by enthusiastic and well-informed guided tour.
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Portón Mestizo
Potosí's elaborate colonial architecture merits a stroll around the narrow streets to take in the ornate doorways and façades, as well as the covered wooden balconies that overhang the streets. On Calle Junín, between Matos and Bolívar, is an especially lovely and elaborate Portón Mestizo doorway, flanked by twisted columns. It once graced the home of the Marqués de Otavi, but now ushers patrons into the Banco Nacional.
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Iglesia de San Martín
The rather ordinary-looking Iglesia de San Martín was built in the 1600s and is today run by the French Redemptionist Fathers. Inside is an art museum, with at least 30 paintings beneath the choir depicting the Virgin Mary and the 12 Apostles. The Virgin on the altarpiece wears clothing woven from silver threads. However, San Martín is outside the center and is sometimes closed, so phone before traipsing out here.
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Iglesia de San Lorenzo de Carangas
The ornate Mestizo baroque portal of Iglesia de San Lorenzo de Carangas is probably one of the most photographed subjects in Bolivia. It was carved in stone by master indigenous artisans in the 16th century, but the main structure wasn’t completed until the bell towers were added in 1744. Inside are two Holguín paintings and handcrafted silverwork on the altar. The church was renovated in 1987.
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San Francisco Convent
The San Francisco Convent was founded in 1547 by Fray Gaspar de Valverde, making it the oldest monastery in Bolivia. Owing to its inadequate size, it was demolished in 1707 and reconstructed over the following 19 years. A gold-covered altar from this building is now housed in the Casa Nacional de la Moneda. The statue of Christ that graces the present altar features hair that is said to grow miraculously.
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Museo de Plata Herzul
A silversmith has set up his home workshop to accept visitors, and demonstrates every aspect of the craft, from forging to filigree. It's an interesting visit with plenty of chance to have a go yourself but it's wise to ring ahead to check that it's open. It's located in the Ciudad Satélite barrio a kilometer or so from the town centre. You can also buy some of his work.
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Iglesia de Santo Domingo
The recently renovated Iglesia de Santo Domingo contains an ornate portal, an unusual paneled ceiling and one of the eight original panels from the life of Santa Rosa de Lima, by Juan Díaz and Juan Francisco de la Puente. As well, there are other colonial paintings and sculptures located here. To gain admission to the church, visit on Sunday prior to the Mass.
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Pary Orcko Tower
This bizarre-looking observation tower makes a curious addition to the Potosí skyline. The viewing level revolves slowly and there's a restaurant here. It can't be denied that it's a great view! A bus heads to the tower on the hour from 09:00 to 18:00 (no bus at 13:00) from in front of the Colegio Nacional 'Pichincha' on Plaza 6 de Agosto near the cathedral.
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Pasaje de Siete Vueltas
It's thought that the bends in Calle Quijarro were an intentional attempt to inhibit the cold winds that would otherwise whistle through and chill everything in their path. This concept is carried to extremes on the Pasaje de Siete Vueltas - 'the passage of seven turns' - which is an extension of Calle Ingavi, east of Junín.
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Arcos de Cobija
Potosí's elaborate colonial architecture merits a stroll around the narrow streets to take in the ornate doorways and façades, as well as the covered wooden balconies that overhang the streets. Architecturally notable are the Arcos de Cobija on the street of the same name.
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El Cabildo
Potosí’s elaborate colonial architecture merits a stroll around the narrow streets to take in the ornate doorways and facades, as well as the covered wooden balconies that overhang the streets. An architecturally notable home and monument is El Cabildo
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Torre de la Compañía De Jesús
The ornate and beautiful bell tower, on what remains of the former Jesuit church, was completed in 1707 after the collapse of the original church. Both the tower and the doorway are adorned with examples of Baroque mestizo ornamentation. The tourist office is in the same building.
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Iglesia de la Merced
Constructed between 1555 and 1687, restored Iglesia de la Merced has a carved pulpit, a gorgeous wooden ceiling and a beautiful 18th-century silver arch over the altarpiece. It houses a lovely small museum and you can visit the catacombs and the bell tower.
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Town Stadium
Real Potosí, the local soccer team, is one of Bolivia's best, and play at the Town Stadium. When they make the Libertadores Cup, a South American Club Championship, even the best Brazilian sides dread drawing them and having to play at this altitude!
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Iglesia de San Bernardo
The former church and convent of Iglesia de San Bernardo is most notable for its spectacular façade of un-dressed boulders. The cavernous interior now houses a Spanish-sponsored school of art restoration.
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Iglesia de San Agustín
Iglesia de San Agustín, with its elegant Renaissance doorway, is known for its eerie underground crypts and catacombs. At time of research, it was being equipped to open for the public.
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Iglesia de San Benito
Building began on the Iglesia de San Benito in 1711 and it's laid out in the form of a Latin cross and features Byzantine domes and a distinctive mestizo doorway.
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Artesanías Palomita’s
Artesanías Palomita’s is half-shop, half-museum and has costumes and weavings from each of the 16 provinces of Potosí department.
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