POTOS

city, southern Bolivia, 56 miles (90 km) southwest of Sucre. One of the world's highest cities (elevation 13,290 feet [4,050 metres]), it stands on a cold and barren plateau in the shadow of fabled Potos Mountain (also called Cerro Rico ["Rich Mountain"]), which is honeycombed with thousands of mines. Legend attributes its name to potojchi (potojsi, or potocsi), a Quechua word meaning "deafening noise," or "crash." The city came into existence after the discovery of silver there in 1545 and quickly became famous for its wealth. Within three decades its population surpassed 120,000, making it the largest city in the New World. The population declined from a peak of 160,000 (c. 1650) as silver production waned, and a typhus epidemic in 1719 claimed the lives of some 22,000 residents. By the early 19th century, Potos had fewer than 20,000 inhabitants, but the subsequent rise of tin mining again spurred growth. Although floods and an occasional earthquake have taken their toll, Potos retains its colonial charm. Narrow, sometimes winding streets originate in the central plaza, around which are grouped the main governmental buildings and the cathedral. Other notable structures include the Church of San Lorenzo (mainly 16th century), with its ornate Baroque facade, and the Convent of Santa Teresa (1691). The Casa de la Moneda ("Treasury House") was built in the 1570s and rebuilt in the 18th century; it now houses a museum of local history (including early mining machinery), ethnography, and art. The city is the seat of Toms Fras Autonomous University (1892). UNESCO designated the historic city a World Heritage site in 1987. Potos remains a service centre for the mining of tin and smaller quantities of lead, antimony, copper, and silver. It is on a highway, and the Sucre-Potos railway connects with the Antofagasta (Chile)-La Paz line. Pop. (1976) 67,647; (1992) 112,078.