Potosí Revisited

Research reveals that the exploitation of the Potosí mine predates the Spanish conquest, dating back to the Tiwanaku collapse around 1000–1100 AD. The study integrates metallogenic processes, archival documents, linguistic analysis, and archaeology to demonstrate a continuous religious and cultural connection between pre-Hispanic Andean knowledge and mining practices. Notably, the discovery of a shrine guarded by felines in 1545 is linked to indigenous metallogenic understanding, which was intertwined with religious beliefs, including the worship of a feline deity tied to the Sun cult. The Collas, a Pukina-speaking chiefdom, likely originated from Tiwanaku, and their shamanic cults persisted through Inca integration, reflecting enduring spiritual and political dynamics in Andean mining traditions.

Bouysse-Cassagne, T. (2023). Potosí Revisited. Potosí in the Global Silver Age (16th—19th Centuries), 51–105. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004528680_003