Founded in 1545 as a mining town following the discovery of the vast silver deposits in the neighbouring mountain of Cerro Rico, Potosi grew to become one of the largest cities in the world at the time, with over 200,000 people and fabulous wealth. Cerro Rico was once the richest silver mine in the world and was a major source of wealth for Spain during the period of the New World Spanish Empire. It has been estimated that up to eight million Andean Indians died working the mines during this…
