The statue in Miners' Square, Potosi, Bolivia, the town which lies in the shadow of the famous silver mountain Cerro Rico.

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The Spanish colonialists discovered the fabulous wealth of Cerro Rico (meaning Rich Mountain), the 4,824m high mountain, which towers over Potosi in Bolivia, in the sixteenth century and silver extracted from its mines funded the conquest of South America and indeed the whole Spanish economy and the extravagance of its royal family for over two hundred years. Some four hundred mines are still being worked on the mountain today, employing about 20,000 miners and support workers. This statue stands in Plaza de Mineros (Miners' Square), which is at the centre of the area of Potosi where many of them live.

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Size: 2848px × 4287px
Location: Plaza de Mineros, Potosi, Bolivia
Photo credit: © Richard Slater / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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