Cerro Rico
Cerro Rico (Spanish for "Rich Mountain"), Cerro Potosí ("Potosí Mountain") or Sumaq Urqu (Quechua sumaq "beautiful, good, pleasant", urqu "mountain", "beautiful (good or pleasant) mountain"), is a mountain in the Andes near the Bolivian city of Potosí. Cerro Rico, which is popularly conceived of as being "made of" silver ore, is famous for providing vast quantities of silver for the Spanish Empire, most of which was shipped to metropolitan Spain. It is estimated that eighty-five percent of the silver produced in the central Andes during this time came from Cerro Rico.
| Cerro Rico | |
|---|---|
| Cerro Potosí / Sumaq Urqu | |
View of Cerro Rico from Potosí | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 4,782 m (15,689 ft) |
| Coordinates | 19°37′8″S 65°44′59″W |
| Geography | |
Cerro Rico Location in Bolivia | |
| Location | Bolivia, Potosí |
| Parent range | Andes |
As a result of mining operations in the mountain, the city of Potosí became one of the largest cities in the New World. It is said that revolutionary hero Simon Bolívar once waved a flag from the top of this monumental mountain in a historic moment that symbolized the founding of a new nation. Just a year later, congress decided to change the colors to yellow-red-green and include a coat of arms featuring the iconic condor, alpaca and Cerro Rico mine.