^Lot 1418 Potosi' Etchings Bolivia, Potosi',Numismatic

Two prints of the mountain and village, one is framed. Both show the Montagna del Potosi’ rising precipitously from the flat plano, with the town dwellings scattered at its foot. Numerous windmills can be seen in the background in both drawings. The framed picture has a narrow matte and measures 7 x 10,” overall measurement is 11.5 x 14.5.” The frame is painted word with ornate corner decorations, is chipped and scored in some places. The 2nd print measures 8.5 x 11” and is encased in a wide paper matte. There is some writing in pencil at lower left with dates of “C. Allard, ca. 1680” and “Pieter Schenck, 1702.” These two prints depict the famous “silver mountain” of Bolivia’s fabulous silver strike and the site of legendary riches, which was Potosi’. Located in the southwestern part of the country, local mines and their riches were well known to the native peoples living there. These people were colonized by the Inca, who enslaved them for forced labor in the mines. When the Spanish arrived in 1539 and destroyed the Incan Empire, the wealth of the mines was theirs. According to legend, a native named Diego Huallpa discovered the real wealth of Sumaj Orco (or Cerro Rico), the mountain of silver in 1545.