Potosi

Took a bus from the beautiful city of Sucre to the famous silver city of Potosi.  100 miles up hill in a crowded Bolivian bus.  cost $2:25. the seats were tiny for my long legs.  every time the bus slowed ladies would run up to the windows with baked goods, etc.  the cleanliness looked very suspèct so I passed.  It was just like what you see in the movies.  The terrain is very stark and brown.

Arrived to Potosi around noon and I decided to hike to the town square and not take a cab.  Good way to see things but the altitude (over 13,000 ft) made the climb tough.  The city is busy with street vendors and people milling about.  it is not dirty but very worn and because of this it feels dirty. After some effort found the city square and a place to stay ($20 per night, and this is the nice palce).

The center of Potosi was very fashionable up to one hundred years ago.  The decline in the silver mining meant the decline of the city.  What is noteworthy about the city are the huge stone churches, some of which were built around 1600.  It appears most of the churches are closed and the ones that are open get very few visitors. I toured one church with a spanish speaking guuide.  I understood only a little but I kept saying ¨Si¨to make her think I understood it all. The private tour cost $2.  the church and the monestary covers a full city block.  It was all surprisingly good shape.  Apparently the wealthy were buried in the church and I was taken to the catacombs underneath the alter. Although immense and obviously built at great expense, the artistic beauty of the church was minimal.

There are very few tourists in the city and most that I do see are very young. Bolivia is a great place for the young to travel because of the low cost and great natural beauty.

Potosi had an immense impact on the world.  the discovery of the greatest deposit of silver ever found resulted in more Spanish imperialism, the death of upwards of 9mm miners which greatly impacted the Andean culture, and inflation and resulting unrest in Europe.  It is sad walking around this city and thinking about the impact that the Spanish had.

Today I am going to see the major museum in the city.  at one time the building that houses the museum minted  all the coins for Europe.  If there is time I also hope to take a tour of the working silver mines.  In the USA one would never be allowed to do this so it will be a unique experience.

After the beauty of Sucre, one more day in Potosi will be adequate.

Got a beauty of a black eye last ngiht.  I went into an ATM enclosure.  there were two machines so I went to the one further away.  I didnt see a glass wall that separted them.  Naturally, I walked into it and most of the impact was on my eyebrow.  boy is my eye black this morning!  But that is the worst of it, thankfully.