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File:20170808 Bolivia 1416+20 Potosí sRGB (37949205862).jpg

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‘Laminators’ are rolling mills that squish silver ingots thin enough to stamp out coins. Four laminators are arrayed around a central gear powered by mules walking in a circle in the basement.

The National Mint was built between 1753 and 1773 and takes up an entire city block. Coins were minted here up until 1953. (Today Bolivian coins are made in Canada and Chile using cheaper materials than silver.)

Potosí (elev. 4,090m/13,420ft) [for comparison: Lhasa, Tibet, at 3,658m/12,001ft] was founded in 1545 as a mining town at the foot of Rich Hill (Cerro Rico), the world’s largest silver deposit. An estimated 60% of all silver mined in the world during the second half of the 16th century came from Potosí which was reputed to be the world’s largest industrial complex at the time. Its population eventually exceeded 200,000 people, making it one of the largest cities in the world. Most of the mining and smelting (using mercury) was done by forced labor, both indigenous people and African slaves. As many as 8 million workers are estimated to have died between 1545 and 1825. Output began to decline in the early 19th century. By the 1890s, low silver prices prompted a shift to mining tin. Growing demand for tin this century by the electronics industry has helped the local economy. Silver extraction continues on a small scale.

Miguel de Cervantes’ novel “Don Quixote” describes Potosí as a land of “extraordinary richness” (chapter 71 in the second volume which was published in 1615).

The City of Potosí was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

On Google Earth:

Casa Nacional de la Moneda 19°35'19.77"S, 65°45'15.35"W
Date
Source 20170808_Bolivia_1416+20 Potosí sRGB
Author Dan Lundberg
Camera location19° 35′ 19.16″ S, 65° 45′ 15.44″ W Kartographer map based on OpenStreetMap.View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMapinfo

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This image was originally posted to Flickr by Dan Lundberg at https://flickr.com/photos/9508280@N07/37949205862 (archive). It was reviewed on 2 November 2017 by FlickreviewR 2 and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-sa-2.0.

2 November 2017

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19°35'19.158"S, 65°45'15.440"W

8 August 2017

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current15:58, 2 November 2017Thumbnail for version as of 15:58, 2 November 20177,329 × 2,736 (6.04 MB)Ser Amantio di NicolaoTransferred from Flickr via Flickr2Commons

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