IN STEREO

In general terms, the essence of the Mint’s existence in the city is the origin of the city. If silver had not been discovered in the mountain, the Mint would not have existed. It has a very strong relationship between silver and its process, so this building contains a set of elements that preserve the entire history of Potosí. It is a link that makes a chain that tells the whole story of an ancient city – that is what this house represents. First you have to focus on the building, because it is a unique building, built with a single objective: the coin factory. And as a whole, the machinery elements for the production process that have remained, they are there permanently, visible to the visitor. That is fundamental above all, because the factory, as such, had 200 years of function. And [now] it is another process, in which the building, for its conservation, becomes a museum.

[It] houses many collections, closely linked to the issue of silver, to the economic factor. It is a very well-done collection, set chronologically, to understand the history of Potosí, from pre-Columbian times to the present day. So it is always said [that] Potosí without the Mint and without the Cerro Rico is not Potosí. That is a very clear reaction because [the Mint] keeps this process not only of the tangible but also of the intangible. It is very mystical to enter this building and be transported over time. One is in the doorway, on the façade of the building – they enter, they are in the first courtyard and are going through each of the spaces; they breathe history, breathe the whole culture and everything that has happened in that place. And it’s the same, not only at the Mint: one comes to Potosí, you walk these little streets, you breathe history. – Seila