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Potosi

By Chris Thompson - 2009-10-12

The town of Potosi is the highest city in the world (according to our guide book), and you feel it. Walking up a steep hill, riding the bike around town, sometimes even standing up, and you feel all 13,300 feet of altitude. Potosi is an old city, founded by the Spanish conquistadors who were interested in the silver deep beneath the hill that sits above the town.

The streets are old and twisty, winding up towards the rich hill, or ‘cerro rico’, the source of the towns old wealth. We got into Potosi late at night, riding past packs of dogs feasting on garbage in the street and groups of rowdy drunks. We quickly ran to the nearest hostel we could find. The next morning, the city seemed a little more friendly.

The streets were packed with tiny old women, trying to sell tasty morning pastries, filled with meat and potatoes, religious icons, and whatever else you might need. We wound our way up through the city, exploring the city market, filled with huge chunks of butchered animals, strange fruits, and giant sacks of coca leaves, the mild stimulant you can find in the cheeks of so many Bolivians.

Going deeper into the twisting warrens of the city, you can find the miners district, where they sell packs of hand rolled cigarettes, miners lamps, helmets, boots, pick axes, and even sticks of dynamite. The poorness of the city is overwhelming. Many people barely get by selling trinkets on the street, or prosper, but suffer, working in the terrible conditions deep in the mines. Even the environment is tough. High altitude, cold temperatures, and even colder nights. Potosi is a hard place, but despite all that, you begin to see beauty there. It’s a beauty of the city, and a beauty that comes from the people.