Potosí Mountain

mountain, Bolivia

Also known as: Cerro Rico

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 1, 2026

Quick Summary

Potosí Mountain, also known as Cerro Rico, is a mountain in Bolivia famous for its rich silver deposits discovered in 1545. The city of Potosí, located at a high elevation of 13,290 feet (4,050 meters), grew rapidly due to the silver mining, becoming one of the largest cities in the New World by the late 16th century. The mountain is honeycombed with thousands of mines. While silver production waned, tin mining later spurred growth in the city. Potosí's historic city was designated a World Heritage site in 1987. The mining industry remains significant, with ongoing extraction of tin, silver, lead, antimony, and copper.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

7 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Potosí
…in the shadow of fabled Potosí Mountain (also called Cerro Rico [“Rich Mountain”]), which is honeycombed with thousands of mines. Legend attributes its name to potojchi or potocsi, a Quechua word meaning “deafening noise,” or “crash.”
Read More
…in the shadow of fabled Potosí Mountain (also called Cerro Rico [“Rich Mountain”]), which is honeycombed with thousands of mines. Legend attributes its name to potojchi or potocsi, a Quechua word meaning “deafening noise,” or “crash.”
Read More

history of Latin America
Mining
…deposits, of which those of Potosí Mountain (in present Bolivia) were overwhelmingly predominant, were within the territory of sedentary indigenous population; moreover, the Andeans had a strong tradition of long-distance labour movements. Thus indigenous labour obligations, channeled first through the encomienda and later through other arrangements, could supply a large…
Read More
…deposits, of which those of Potosí Mountain (in present Bolivia) were overwhelmingly predominant, were within the territory of sedentary indigenous population; moreover, the Andeans had a strong tradition of long-distance labour movements. Thus indigenous labour obligations, channeled first through the encomienda and later through other arrangements, could supply a large…
Read More