Kathy G
Well-known member
- Post score: 11
- #1
The mountain in the 2 photos is known as Cerro Rico (Rich Hill). Cerro Rico was once an important source of silver. If you look closely you can see the mines on the side of the mountain as silver is still mined from here. The City of Potosi, where Cerro Rico is located, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the important role it played in the mining of silver during the Spanish colonial era. In it's hey day (late 1500s to late 1700s), Potosi became one of the richest and largest cities in the world despite it's high altitude (4060 m above sea level). Spain extracted silver from Mexico and Potosi. During the 200 year period of the late 16th to 18th centuries, the amount extracted and shipped to Spain tripled the total amount of silver in Europe. Cerro Rico contributed 50% of that silver. Spain used the labour of the indigenous population in what is now Peru and Bolivia to mine the silver. The labour was considered a tax owed to the Spanish Crown so the miners did not receive a wage. I lived in Potosi for 3 months in 2006 and I never tired of looking at this mountain.
The 2 photos are from 2015 and they were taken with a Nikon D600. I took the first photo from the roof of my hotel just after sunrise. I took the second photo from the opposite end of downtown Potosi just before sunset. I was facing south when I took the photos. As usual, feel free to offer constructive comments.
The 2 photos are from 2015 and they were taken with a Nikon D600. I took the first photo from the roof of my hotel just after sunrise. I took the second photo from the opposite end of downtown Potosi just before sunset. I was facing south when I took the photos. As usual, feel free to offer constructive comments.
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