Sucre
Located at
8,500 ft(2,550 m), Sucre is the official capital of Bolivia and its most
beautiful colonial city. Sucre is considered a World Heritage Site by
U.N.E.S.C.O. Previously called Charcas, and then Chuquisaca, before finally
being renamed Sucre, this is the city where Simón Bolivar founded Bolivia
and wrote the Bolivian constitution, after defeating the Spanish Army in the mid-1820s.
The city has important historical monuments like the Liberty House, the former
National Congress, old monasteries, and temples. Sucre is an open book of historical
events between 1640-1850 that influenced new republics in other Andean countries.
Going back even further, to prehistoric times, you can also visit a rich assortment
of newly discovered dinosaur tracks and fossils.
Besides being of historical interest, this is also an important cultural center with colonial and textile museums, as well as one of the first universities in America, the University of San Francisco Javier, which is older than Harvard, e.g.. The rich textile traditions (weavings) of this area, centered around Tarabuco, are another very popular attraction.
The lovely subtropical weather enhances Sucre´s special ambiance for international tourists. Days are sunny with bright blue skies and the nights are filled with stars.
Potosí
Located at nearly 13,100 ft (2,550 m) and only
3 hours from Sucre, this city is one of the highest in the world.
Potosí´s fame comes from centuries ago, when it supplied extraordinary
quantities of silver to Spain. This metal was extracted from thousands
of mineshafts in "Cerro Rico" (Rich Mountain) and processed in hundreds
of smelters. In fact, you can still visit a working mine where conditions
have not changed in centuries.
During the 16th Century, the city had over 160,000 inhabitants, approximately 10 times more people than New York at that time. Some of the richest people in the world may have lived here. You can still see many examples of the gothic and baroque architecture from this era. The city of Potosí was the largest silver producer in the world until Bolivian independence in 1825, when its population decreased to 9,000 inhabitants. World demand for tin created a second boom by about 1880, which lasted until the mid-1960s. Today the city has a much lower population than three centuries ago, but mining is still its main industry.
The most important building in Potosí is The Royal Mint House, one of two built to mint the silver coins used by the colonial Spanish empire. This impressive mint operated until 1953 and can look back on 400 years of continuous coinage. There are other important buildings open to visitors, including the Santa Teresa Convent (still occupied), the San Francisco Monastery, and the Potosí Cathedral.
