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Potosi, Bolivia
Visit to Potosi in Bolivia in 2004. One of the oldest silver mines in the World. In Dutch. See also http://www.windweb.nl
Length: 216
Rating: 3.80 (4 ratings)
Tags: Windweb Potosi Bolivia
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San luis potosi
Its the most beautifil city in mexico
Length: 387
Rating: 4.30 (75 ratings)
Tags: San Luis potosi
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Potosi Bolivia Bolivie
+ videos: http://www.napopo.com
Potosi - 5,5mn video about Potosi, which was the world's largest industrial city in the 16th century. The colonial town with the Casa de la Moneda, aqueducts, church of San Lorenzo, the Santa Barbara tower,...
Vidéo de 5,5mn sur Potosi, qui était au 16ème siècle, la plus grande ville industrielle au monde. La ville coloniale avec la Casa de la Moneda, les aqueducs, l'église San Lorenzo, la tour Santa Barbara,...
Length: 341
Rating: 5.00 (7 ratings)
Tags: Potosi Bolivia Bolivie city ville coloniale cerro rico ciudad
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Visit of the silver mine of Potosi
Visite de Potosi (Bolivie) et de sa mine d'argent, In der Silberminen von Potosi (Bolivia) , Potosi (Bolivia), las minas de plata
Potosí is a city, the capital of the department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is at an altitude of 3967 meters and has about 115,000 inhabitants. It is claimed to be the highest city in the world. It lies beneath the Cerro Rico ("Rich mountain"), a mountain of silver ore, which has always dominated the city.
Founded 1546 as a mining town, it soon produced fabulous wealth, becoming the largest city in the Americas (except for Mexico City) with a population exceeding 200,000 people. In Spanish there is still a saying "vale un Potosí" meaning "worth a fortune" and, for Europeans, "Perú"—Bolivia was part of the Viceroyalty of Perú and was known as Alto Perú before becoming independent— was a mythical land of riches. Potosí is the only American city mentioned in Miguel de Cervantes's famous novel satirizing chivalry, Don Quixote, with clear reference to its riches. It is from Potosí that most of the Spanish silver came. Indian labour, forced by Francisco de Toledo, Count of Oropesa through the traditional Incan mita institution of contributed labor, came to die by the thousands, not simply from exposure and brutal labor, but by mercury poisoning: in the paved patio the silver-ore, having been crushed to powder by hydraulic machinery, was cold-mixed with mercury and trodden to an amalgam by the native workers with their bare feet. [1] The mercury was then driven off by heating, producing deadly vapors.
After 1800 the silver mines became depleted, making tin the main product. This eventually led to a slow economic decline. Still, the mountain continues to be mined for silver to this day. Due to poor worker conditions (lack of protective equipment from the constant inhalation of dust), the miners still have a short life expectancy with most of them contracting silicosis and dying around 40 years of age. It is estimated that, in the past years of Incan labour, roughly 8 million indians died "eaten" by the Rich Hill.
During the War of Independence (1809--1825, see History of Bolivia) Potosi frequently passed between the control of Royalist and Patriot forces. Major blunders by the First Argentine Auxiliary Army (under the command of Juan José Castelli) led to an increased sense that independence was needed and fostered resentment towards Argentina. During that occupation there was anarchy and martial excess, and Potosi became unfriendly to the point where it could not be defended.
When the second auxiliary army arrived it was received well, and the commander, Manuel Belgrano did much to heal the past wounds inflicted by the tyrannical minded Castelli. When that army was forced to retreat, Belgrano took the calculated decision to blow up the Casa de Moneda. Since the locals refused to evacuate this explosion would have resulted in many casualties, but by then the fuse was already lit. Disaster was averted not by the Argentinians who at that time were fleeing, but by locals who put the fuse out. In one stroke the good feelings Belgrano delicately built were destroyed. Two more expeditions from Argentina would seize Potosi. (wikipedia)
08.1999
VALPARD FILMS http://valpardfilms.free.f
Length: 309
Rating: 4.60 (8 ratings)
Tags: Potosi argent mine silber silver Silberminen minas plata Bolivia Bolivie Bolivien ボリビア 玻利维亚 볼리비아 بوليفيا
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