Potosi, located at 4090 meters above sea level – the highest city (of its size) in the world – and historically the silver city.

Some time in the 16th century silver was discovered in nearby Cerro Rico, this led to the setup of mines and a mint by the Spaniards. Consequently most silver coins in Europe (especially Spain) were a 100% Potosi product – from the mountain to the final product (i.e. the coin).

We arrived in Potosi in the early afternoon – after four hours on a bus from Sucre; a short orientation walk led us through the center, we had lunch in a restaurant opposite to the mint (I had llama steak). Later that afternoon we had a guided tour through the mint museum – to learn more about Potosi’s past.