National Mint of Bolivia, Historical currency museum in Potosí, Bolivia
The National Mint of Bolivia is a museum in Potosí that displays colonial coin-making machines and two floors of exhibits about silver processing. The rooms contain tools, presses, and smelting furnaces that show how coins were made from raw material to finished form.
The mint was established in 1572 and struck silver coins for the Spanish Empire across three centuries. Operations ceased in the 20th century after Potosí lost its wealth and influence.
The building displays paintings by local artists and furniture from the era when silver coins were struck here. Visitors can see religious objects and tools that illustrate daily life during colonial times.
The museum offers guided tours in several languages that lead through the different floors and workshops. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes as the tours involve steep stairs and uneven floors.
The mint's silver coins circulated so widely that Miguel de Cervantes recorded the phrase "valer un potosí", meaning to be worth a fortune. The Potosí mint's output fed the Manila Galleon trade linking the Americas with Asia.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,619 contributors worldwide.
