Deep in the Earth

Potosi Mine

The high altitude in Potosi proved Kryptonite for our super-biking muscles, so we stayed for a few days to acclimatize. At 13,420 feet, Potosi is the highest city in the world. It was founded as a mining town by the Spanish invaders in 1546, and still continues to be a thriving (albeit poor) mining city today.

The town of Potosi is the highest city in the world (according to our guide book), and you feel it. Walking up a steep hill, riding the bike around town, sometimes even standing up, and you feel all 13,300 feet of altitude. Potosi is an old city, founded by the Spanish conquistadors who were interested in the silver deep beneath the hill that sits above the town.