City of Potosí World Heritage Site

Official name

City of Potosí | UNESCO

Country

Bolivia | Map

Continent

South America

Location

Potosi, Province of Potosi
-19.5836° Lat, -65.7530° Lon | Map

Code

420

Time Zone

America/La_Paz (-04, -0400)

Current Time

Category

Cultural

Description

Inscribed 1987. In the 16th century, this area was regarded as the world’s largest industrial complex. The extraction of silver ore relied on a series of hydraulic mills. The site consists of the industrial monuments of the Cerro Rico, where water is provided by an intricate system of aqueducts and artificial lakes; the colonial town with the Casa de la Moneda; the Church of San Lorenzo; several patrician houses; and the barrios mitayos, the areas where the workers lived.