Margarita Lopez vda de Villa Fuerte, 80, seller,  Potosi. Bolivia..Sitting at 4,090M (13,420 Feet) above sea level the small mining community of Potosi, Bolivia is one of the highest cities in the world by elevation and sits ?sky high? in the hills of the land locked nation. Overlooking the city is the infamous mountain, Cerro Rico (rich mountain), a mountain conceived to be made of silver ore. It was the major supplier of silver for the spanish empire and has been mined since 1546, according to records 45,000 tons of pure silver were mined from Cerro Rico between 1556 and 1783, 9000 tons of which went to the Spanish Monarchy. The mountain produced fabulous wealth and became one of the largest and wealthiest cities in Latin America. The Extraordinary riches of Potosi were featured in Maguel de Cervantes famous novel Don Quixote. One theory holds that the mint mark of Potosi, the letters PTSI superimposed on one another is the origin of the dollar sign. Today mainly zinc, lead, tin and small quantities of silver are extracted from the mine by over 100 co-operatives and private mining companies who still mine the mountain in poor working conditions, children are still used in the mines and the lack of protective equipment and constant inhalation of dust means miners have a short life expectancy with many contracting silicosis and dying around 40 years of age. UNESCO designated the historic city a World Heritage site in 1987. Most of Potosí's colonial churches have been restored, and tourism has increased. Potosi, Bolivia. 16th September 2011. Photo Tim Clayton
{}