Potosi is somewhere in between La Paz and Sucre - not as chaotic or packed as La Paz, but not quite as elegant Sucre. Potosi sits at 4070m above sea level and apparently is the highest city of its size on earth and is a UNESCO heritage site in recognition of its tragic history of silver mining during the time of Spanish colonization. Potosi is where a great deal of silver was mined and shipped back to Spain until the early 1800's.

The working conditions for miners back then were extremely appaling and many of the indigenous people died, along with the African slaves that were brought in to replace any Bolivian natives. It is estimated that approximately 8 million Bolivian indigenous people and Africans died in the mines during the times of Spanish colonial rule.

At first, the Spanish had forbidden the use of the cocoa leaf by the miners because they thought it was demonic and evil. But after, they realized that the cocoa leaf helped the workers work HARDER and LONGER, and then made the miners pay double the amount for a leaf that was integral to the Bolivian culture. A sad irony for the Bolivians as the cocoa leaf gave them their culture and life, but also contributed to their death as it made them work harder and faster in the mines, lowering their life expectancy.

It was a really eye-opening trip to see and made me realize how lucky we are ... It also made me realize and appreciate where a lot of our metals come from, and who are the people behind it. It was a day of mixed emotions, sadness and humbleness being the two strongest for me.