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The discovery of a silver mine is directly related to the development of the city of Potosi. Potosi was founded on April 10, 1545 at the feet of the Cerro Rico. It was named Villa Imperial de Carlos V in the name of Spanish king Carlos V.

Immediately after its foundation, large scale excavations of the silver mines began and the first shipment of silver went to Spain. In 1672, a mint was established to make silver coins and a water reservoir was built to take care of the needs of the growing population. During this time, there were 80 churches in the city. However, many of the churches were looted when the independence movement was going on during the 19th century. In the year 1987, Potosi was declared a ‘World Heritage Site’ by UNESCO.

There is another attraction for which you should at least once travel to Potosi. This is the altitude of Potosi. It is the highest city of the world and it is characterized by cool weather.

You can easily visit Potosi from the other cities of Bolivia either by road or by rail. From Sucre you can avail a direct train to Potosi but if you are coming from La Paz or from Villazon then you have to cross across many cities.

There are many sightseeing attractions in Potosi which you should visit on your trip to Potosi. Some of these places are:

Cerro Rico the famous hill of Potosi
La Casa de la Moneda which is the first mint of Potosi built during the second half of the 18th century.
The Cathedral: Another historic sight which was built during the second half of the 16th century.
Museo de San Francisco: It was built as a convent in the year 1547 and has works by Perez de Holguín


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Tourist Destinations in Bolivia
Cochabamba	La Paz
Oruro	Potosi
Santa Cruz de la Sierra	Sucre
Tarija