IN STEREO

The title of UNESCO World Heritage basically has been given to Potosí for its contribution to the world economy. From the extraction of silver, Europe was able to generate the industrial era. Spain was not the ‘owner of the cow’: the queen of Spain had borrowed money from endless bankers from other states to pay for the voyage of Columbus. How was Spain planning on paying its debt to the other countries? The money that came from the mountain. So the era of the industrial revolution in European society started from the silver from the mountain of Potosí. So it is an undeniable part not only of the history of Bolivia – or at that time, of the [Peruvian] province of Charcas – but of all humanity. Potosí has contributed substantially to the growth of the world economy: it gave rise to the textile factory, it gave rise to the first steam locomotives…. Potosí silver even reached Holland: we have engravings by Dutch people where the Cerro Rico is drawn mistakenly, surrounded by an island (we have no island). – Heritage Official

Well, according to history it is known that Potosí was the most populated [city] in the whole world. It fed raw material mainly to Europe – to Spain, in any case, right? Potosí is [also] responsible for the existence of Sucre [and] Santa Cruz, for example. The relatives of the Spaniards could not stand the cold, the altitude here, and they were looking for a valley place. That's why Sucre exists. Next they wanted to communicate with the world, so Santa Cruz exists. So I think they are the reasons it is really recognized as heritage: that it gave much in history, not only in the interior of Bolivia, but also outside. But in exchange for that there has not been solidarity, true gratefulness. The abundance of problems we are experiencing are the consequences of the past. – Padre Efrain