Some fine examples of former ingenios (smelters) that were an important infrastructure used to extract silver from the ore in Cerro Rico. There were once 82 ingenios along the Río Huana Mayu. Some date back to the 16th Century. Operating the ingenios was an extremely dangerous job, the silver smelting process required large amounts of mercury, which poisoned many of the workers. Many mine tours make a stop at one of the igenios and show the different stages of the metal refinery process.

Location:
La Paz near Periodista
Potosi, Bolivia

Other Activity Types:
Ingenios/ smelters

Getting There
From the center head towards the upper Potosí neighborhoods of Cantumarca and San Antonio. Ingenios are on the banks of the Río Huana Mayu.

Ask tour operators about excursions on offer to the ingenios.

By Catherine Ellis

Zesty and spirited, yet calm and extremely tolerant of others. I am an open-minded person who loves listening to and learning from others. I crave...

Created: 09 Sep 2008

Updated: 09 Sep 2008

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