Casa De La Moneda

Take an insightful tour into the old mint and the epicentre of the Bolivian silver rush in colonial times.

In the company of our local guide, you will visit the reowned Casa de la Moneda (the old Mint), to gain a fascinating insight into life as it was years ago, when Potosi was one of the world's richest cities. From here, the masses of silver which was extracted from the nearby Cerro Rico was processed into coins during the Bolivian silver boom.

The massive wooden press remains, where donkeys and slaves laboured to rotate the wheel and a large collection of paintings can also be seen, which show an interesting blend of Catholicism and traditional beliefs. The indigenous people have managed to weave their Gods of nature into the catholic images, where the Virgin Mary is depicted as being their own God, Mother Earth or 'Pachamama'.