There is ton of history in Potosi, which (given its importance) I am surprised that I never heard of it previously. I skipped around, looking at exciting bits of its history through the centuries, and I will mention its influence on the ancient world economy to my students when we discuss economics.

Once the Spanish realized the possibilities of the silver mining in Potosi in the 1540s, the city became the center of a rapidly globalizing world. Lane offers a long trajectory of the region and its influence, from the payroll of the Counter-reformation armies to the Atlantic slave trade, and the wild mix of peoples attracted to the riches. It is particularly interesting to see the town as a long-cycle boomtown, with all the features of a pirate haven criminal economy as well as the lavish baroque establishment of churches, palaces and concert halls bought by dynastic wealth.