IN STEREO

Potosí has clearly been, and always is considered one of the cities so well-known at the international level, worldwide. If there had not been this mountain, above all, maybe Potosí as a city would not have existed. I mean, the way it is known and understood. And if there was no Potosí, no Bolivia either. That is what we understand, in some general terms, very summarised, right? It’s commonly said that the infrastructure and these archaeological remains are ‘silent witnesses’ of history and the activity that has developed, that Potosí has given. – Luis

According to history, Potosí is very rich. In Potosí, history begins; it is where history itself is born. I want you to appreciate how it has been since colonial times, how the Indians have suffered, what was here. When you read books [about it], you get to enter that world; you become one of the characters. But when I began to read, I felt sad due to the way people suffered at that time, and how things have been lost today. – Patty

With my own words, Potosí… My city is incredible. I love Potosí a lot. For me, Potosí is a magical city, an incredible city. It is wonderful. It enchants everyone, fascinates everyone, doesn’t it? Well, there is so much to say about Potosí, [about] its streets with their old names. The stories, the histories, chronicles, legends – but [they are] stories that have been lived here. So you close your eyes and you imagine: what was life like in that time? It’s emotional to enter [the convent], passing through the door and finding a tree that has its cane, a stand, because that tree is more than 300 years old. And it is a tree that gives apples, green apples – so far it still bears fruit. That tree is the mute witness of the convent. I say ‘mute witness’ because it has seen everything. It does not speak but it knows everything that has happened inside those walls. – Gris