Potosí Silver Mining and Forced Labor Systems in the Andes (1545–1800)

1. Silver lode discovered at Cerro Rico de Potosí

   Jan 1, 1545Labels: Cerro Rico, Potos, Spanish Empire

   • UNESCO Potos
   • Britannica Potos

2. Early smelting boom using rich surface ores

   Jan 1, 1550Labels: Surface ores, Potos, Smelting

   • UNESCO Potos
   • Rock Gem

3. Patio (mercury amalgamation) process developed in New Spain

   Jan 1, 1554Labels: Patio process, Bartolom de, New Spain

   • Britannica Medina
   • Patio Process

4. Huancavelica mercury mining begins, supplying Andean silver

   Jan 1, 1564Labels: Huancavelica, Mercury mining, Peru

   • EHP Robins
   • UNESCO SantaB

5. Royal Mint established to standardize Potosí silver coinage

   Jan 1, 1572Labels: Royal Mint, Potos Mint, Coinage

   • Casa Moneda
   • Mint Fraud

6. Viceroy Toledo arrives and reorganizes Potosí labor

   Nov 23, 1572Labels: Viceroy Toledo, Mita, Spanish Crown

   • UNESCO Potos
   • Francisco Toledo

7. Patio refining scales up with mills and mercury

   Jan 1, 1580Labels: Patio mills, Water mills, Potos

   • UNESCO Potos
   • Rock Gem

8. San Ildefonso dam failure floods Potosí processing works

   Mar 15, 1626Labels: San Ildefonso, Ingenios, Flood

   • 1626 Flood
   • UNESCO Potos

9. Potosí mint fraud exposes global trust problem in coinage

   Jan 1, 1649Labels: Potos Mint, Coin debasement, Imperial oversight

   • Mint Fraud

10. Forced-labor city expands into a major industrial complex

    Jan 1, 1650Labels: Potos city, Mita workforce, Mining complex

    • UNESCO Potos
    • Hist Bolivia

11. Late 1600s–1700s decline as ore quality drops and costs rise

    Jan 1, 1700Labels: Ore depletion, Labor shortages, Potos

    • Hist Bolivia
    • UNESCO Potos

12. Bourbon reforms attempt to revive mining and adjust taxes

    Jan 1, 1751Labels: Bourbon Reforms, Spanish monarchy, Mining policy

    • Hist Bolivia

13. Túpac Amaru II rebellion challenges mita and colonial extraction

    Nov 4, 1780Labels: T pac, Indigenous rebellion, Andes

    • T pac Amaru
    • T pac Amaru

14. After 1800, silver activity slows markedly in Potosí

    Jan 1, 1800Labels: Post-1800 decline, Potos, Silver slowdown

    • UNESCO Potos