Explore / South America / Andes
Andes, Potosí Department
Potosi
Cerro Rico cooperative silver mines
Mineral locality Source-confirmed findsLicence or permit
What you could find
Reported finds from this ground.
Crystals and minerals
Coins and tokensAlso reported: eyes-only: working veins, colonial galleries, sphalerite.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Stephanie Clifford from Arlington, VA, USA (CC BY 2.0), West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service, Amy Downes, (CC BY-SA 2.0).
Why this spot
Rockhounding locality: the mountain that bankrolled the Spanish Empire, mined for silver since 1545 and still worked by cooperatives; Potosi is UNESCO listed and on the danger list
Wikipedia documents the 1545 discovery, colonial silver output and the 2014 UNESCO endangered listing over uncontrolled mining
Before you go
Hazards noted for this site.
Serious: 4200 m altitudeSilica dust, unstable historic workings, active blasting
the mountain is UNESCO-flagged for structural instability
Keep exploring nearby
More spots in this area.