Potosi and Silver Mining

Potosi and Silver Mining

One of the original European depictions of the "Cerro Rico" (Rich Mountain).

The Cerro Rico holds high quantities of silver ore, and a large proportion of silver that flowed from the Americas back to Europe came from this mountain. The mining process was brutal, and the Spanish colonial government coerced many natives into work through systems such as the Mita or Repartmiento. Mining was extremely dangerous, and the refining process made use of mercury to draw out impurities. The mining operations at Potosi and the Cerro Rico continue to this day, and life expectancy for miners is much lower than the surrounding population.

Pedro Cieza de León

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potos%C3%AD#/media/File:Capitulo-CIX.jpg

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