Larry Memmott's Blog

The incredible and incredibly preserved wooden machinery of the colonial mint

Another unfinished post. I’ll come back to these in La Paz to finish them.

La Casa de la Moneda is one of the most incredible and interesting places I’ve visited in Bolivia. The building itself is spectacular – all the woodwork without a single nail, beautiful stone and brickwork. The equipment for production of coins over 400 years – from the first silver pieces of eight stamped by hand to the coins of the 1950’s.

But the Moneda goes still further. It contains an incredible collection of minerals, the religious items from three Potosí churches, an incredible collection of colonial art and a new display, set to open July 31, of the typical clothing of the various indigenous groups of Potosí department.

Perhaps the single most impressive item in the various collections is the anonymous painting of the Virgin Mary as the Cerro Rico, a painting you will have seen in copies and imitations all over Bolivia. The original is much more powerful. Besides the obvious representation of the Virgin as Pachamama, and the inclusion of the pre-Columbian indigenous sun and moon gods, you can also find the two stories of the discovery of the Cerro Rico depicted.

The Casa de la Moneda is one of the most important visits you will make in Bolivia. I’ve been twice and I’m looking forward to my next time.