"This lofty mountain of silver could conquer the whole world": Potosí and the political ecology of underdevelopment, 1545-1800

Potosí, with its vast silver deposits, became the epicenter of a commodity revolution that reshaped Peru's socio-ecological landscape between 1545 and 1800. This period marked a pivotal moment in the world ecological revolution, where primitive accumulation—facilitated by the mita system—enabled the colonial state to exploit a large, low-cost labor force amid demographic decline. Unlike New Spain’s dispersed silver frontiers, Potosí's centralized mining frontier strengthened imperial control while simultaneously disrupting and transforming premodern socio-ecological systems. The study highlights how historical capitalism thrives by exploiting and destabilizing complex ecological relationships, leaving lasting impacts on the region.

Moore, J. (2010). “This lofty mountain of silver could conquer the whole world”: Potosí and the political ecology of underdevelopment, 1545-1800. Journal of Philosophical Economics, Volume IV Issue 1(Articles). https://doi.org/10.46298/jpe.10605