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City of Potosí

Bolivia
Date of Inscription: 1987
Criteria: (ii)(iv)(vi)
Core zone: 130 ha
Potosi, Province of Potosi
S19 35 01 W065 45 11
Ref: 420

Brief Description

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.