The mountain that eats men

Angie looking for silver in the mines
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The lonley planet opens with the words "Potosi shocks", but upon arriving at 4am by bus from Lima we were thinking more along the lines of "Potosi sucks!". It was freezing and the first hostel we stumbled upon was full. Luckily for Potosi our frosty reception was not to last and we ended up enjoying a brief stay in the HIGHEST CITY IN THE WORLD!!!!! High fives all round

Apparently plundered by the spanish since 1550 for its wealth of silver, the city of Potosi single handedly financed the Spanish revolution for over two centuries. In the process, Potosi became one of the worlds most important cities at that time, and the silver laden mountain Cerro Rico (rich mountain), was the final resting place for millions (err 8 million apparently) of miner slaves both indiginious and imported.

A city 4050 metres above sea level. Why?

There is a reason Rob looks extremely concerned. Holding a live stick of DYNAMITE! Did you know that Potosi is the only place on earth you can buy dynamite on the street, just like that. Kaboom!
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This might be complete rubbish but according to legend the mint stamp for Potosi - the letters PTSI superimposed over each other - is the origin of the standard dollar symbol $. Believe it or not.