Potosí Silver Mine

Timeline

1. 1545–1550Cerro Rico · PotosíAccording to legend, Indian herders discovered the mountain was rich in silver; news spread quickly and Spanish adventurers and contractors swarmed in, setting up mining camps on the plateau above four thousand meters and launching one of the largest silver-mining enterprises in human history.
2. 1561–1570Potosí · PotosíThe amalgamation process, introduced from Mexico, gradually spread over the decade, enabling large-scale refining of low-grade ore; the crown shipped mercury from the Huancavelica mercury mines in Peru, and with mita labor expanding production, Potosí's silver output rose sharply.
3. 1565–1580City of Potosí · BoliviaSmelting works, a royal mint, churches, and markets were built around the mine shafts; by the late 1560s the population exceeded one hundred thousand, bringing together European migrants, African enslaved laborers, and Andean indigenous people to form a cross-ethnic, cross-class colonial mining metropolis.
4. 1560–1600Callao–Seville route · SpainPotosí coinage and silver bars were carried overland to the Peruvian coast, then loaded onto Spanish treasure fleets across the Atlantic, becoming an important source of metal for Philip II's war finances and Europe's price revolution.