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The Spanish Colonial Mint (Casa de la Moneda) in Potosi, Bolivia, shown in the foreground in 1999, was built in 1572 and has served as a mint, fortress, and prison in the years since. In the background is Cerro Rico, also known as Silver Mountain, which the Spanish conquistadors discovered in 1545 as a source for silver. Over nearly 300 years, millions of Indians and African slaves died working in what became the world's largest silver mining complex -- a vast source of Spanish wealth. When Bolivia obtained independence in 1825, the mountain's supply of silver had been exhausted, although there were still reserves of tin and zinc.
AP/Peter McFarren
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