After visiting the mines, I also took a tour of the mint. No longer a functional mint, this building was used to turn much of the silver extracted from cerro rico into coins. It now has a lot of interesting information on the history of Bolivia and of Potosi.
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It usually works...		 2520_baccusa_tn.jpg
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The entrance to the mint, at Potosi. Why Bacchus is there, no one knows...		 2523_pacha_mary_tn.jpg
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This painting is an interesting mix of Christian and traditional imagery. I always find it interesting how one religion can usurp another.
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Part of an all-wood system used to flatten silver before cutting coins. Powered by four mules on the lower floor, these gears turned rollers which pressed silver bars progressively flatter and flatter		 2526_gears_tn.jpg
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Here you can see the teeth, and the space for the mules below		 2527_roller_tn.jpg
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Here's one of the rollers
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I find this kind of thing fascinating. The spokes are heavily worn, as you can see		 2529_lockbox_tn.jpg
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An old, mechanical safe. Still functioning.		 2530_press_tn.jpg
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Part of a mechanical press for minting coins by hand
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The hand press		 2532_miners_clothing_tn.jpg
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Miners accessories, long ago		 2533_potosi_map_tn.jpg
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An old map of Potosi
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The replacement... steam power		 2536_steam_tn.jpg
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Steam machines, and Marielle		 2537_fall_of_government_tn.jpg
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"The spring is here, winter is gone, and soon the government will fall." But it rhymes in Spanish. I'm open to a better translation...
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vanwie at cryptio dot net