Potosí is the Bolivian city famous for its silver mines and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The city grew rapidly after silver was discovered at Cerro Rico, or “Rich Mountain,” in 1545. Under Spanish rule, Potosí became one of the world’s great mining centers, sending silver through colonial trade routes to Europe and Asia. Its population eventually exceeded 200,000, making it one of the largest cities in the Americas in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
UNESCO inscribed the City of Potosí in 1987. The designation includes its historic center, colonial churches and mining infrastructure around Cerro Rico. It also reflects the human cost of the industry: Indigenous laborers were compelled to work through the colonial mita system, while mercury-based refining caused severe environmental and health damage.
Potosí is not Bolivia’s capital—that is Sucre—and it is not the same as Cerro Potosí in Mexico. The city is also notable for its extreme altitude, roughly 4,000 metres above sea level.