Potosi: The Silver Mine that Changed the World

Spanish colonial rule in the Americas was a brutal regime that killed millions of native Americans and transferred a nearly unimaginable volume of wealth from the New World to the Old World. Awful though it was, the Spanish efforts in the Americas would profoundly change not just the Americas but also the entire world. Rarely remembered today, Potosí and its mountain - Cerro Rico, literally “Rich Mountain” - would play a pivotal role in history.
This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.
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All events are portrayed in historical context and for educational purposes. No images or content are primarily intended to shock and disgust. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Non censuram.
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Script by JCG
#history #thehistoryguy #potosi

Пікірлер: 989

  • @TheHistoryGuyChannel
    @TheHistoryGuyChannel3 жыл бұрын

    At 11:43 I mention the town of Potosi Michigan. That is an error- there is no town called Potosi in Michigan. There are towns in Wisconsin, Missouri and Texas, a ghost town and mountain in Nevada named after Potosi.

  • @farber2

    @farber2

    3 жыл бұрын

    Petosky mich.

  • @eduardoribeiro383

    @eduardoribeiro383

    3 жыл бұрын

    Very very nicely done. May I suggest that you look at the Gold Cycle happened in Brazil a few decades later, that paid for the reconstruction of Lisboa, generated wealth for the Hanseatic League, England and other colonial powers. To this day, in Portuguese the verbs Exploit and Explore are only one word (explorar) its a great reflection of how language and ethics reflect each other.

  • @cvoskuil

    @cvoskuil

    3 жыл бұрын

    Now Potosi, WI makes beer.

  • @constipatedinsincity4424

    @constipatedinsincity4424

    3 жыл бұрын

    They pronounce it Poe Ta see 👀. Not knit picking! Just thought you'd like to know!

  • @russcondk

    @russcondk

    3 жыл бұрын

    You may have been thinking of Petoskey Michigan, named after the Petoskey stone scattered around in that region. The stone is a fossilized coral from the coral reefs that were here oh, about 400 Million years ago (+/-, as I wasn't here then...). Found one on the beach yesterday.

  • @BlueBaron3339
    @BlueBaron33393 жыл бұрын

    Not was wasted word in this episode. Never has so much significant history been packed into fewer than fourteen minutes. Outstanding writing!

  • @ChuckHickl

    @ChuckHickl

    3 жыл бұрын

    Spot on. Was going to post similar but you beat me too it.

  • @jonathanwetherell3609

    @jonathanwetherell3609

    3 жыл бұрын

    Totally agree.

  • @sunnyjim1355

    @sunnyjim1355

    3 жыл бұрын

    Except there were things he could have said but didn't.

  • @BlueBaron3339

    @BlueBaron3339

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@sunnyjim1355 😂

  • @Mr.CliffysWorld

    @Mr.CliffysWorld

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@sunnyjim1355 there is ALWAYS things that could have been said but were not . Besides, one only has so much time, if he said EVERYTHING there is to say about the effects on the world from that silver mine the video would be measured in years instead of minutes . 🤷🏼‍♂️✌️

  • @TheManFromWaco
    @TheManFromWaco3 жыл бұрын

    One interesting side effect of tapping Potosi’s riches is that it actually stunted Spain’s long-term growth. Countries such as England, France, and the Netherlands had to develop more advanced economic and financial systems while Spain was able to get by on simply extracting silver. Eventually, the glut of silver left Spain mired in inflation while funding the early industrialization of its main rivals. The “Resource Curse” is nothing new.

  • @skybluskyblueify

    @skybluskyblueify

    3 жыл бұрын

    That and Spain's unwillingness to get rid of absolute monarchy and use some of the ideas that their European neighbors did at the time.

  • @JTA1961

    @JTA1961

    3 жыл бұрын

    No SPAIN~No GAIN

  • @Ozymandias1

    @Ozymandias1

    3 жыл бұрын

    One of the folk heroes in the Netherlands is Piet Hein, a privateer who captured the entire Spanish silver fleet. A children's song was written about him that every Dutch child used to know (of course kids today now only know the theme song of SpongeBob Squarepants and the like).

  • @kitrichardson2165

    @kitrichardson2165

    3 жыл бұрын

    They call that “dutch disease” which has been going on since the 16th century. Should be called “Spanish disease”

  • @maxd161990

    @maxd161990

    2 жыл бұрын

    Dubai is trying to avoid that…

  • @monte4150
    @monte41503 жыл бұрын

    As a coin collector of Spanish and Mexican 8 Reales as well as chop marked coins, this video was so well researched and presented I'm speechless. Very well done! Bravo History Guy!

  • @toddbellows5282

    @toddbellows5282

    2 жыл бұрын

    Except that there is no Petosi Michigan. It's Petoskey.

  • @user-js4vh2lw6n
    @user-js4vh2lw6n3 жыл бұрын

    The History Guy should be considered a national treasure!

  • @andreasproteus1465

    @andreasproteus1465

    3 жыл бұрын

    His blank camera staring face is irritating while his cadence is frequently over the top.

  • @privatepilot4064

    @privatepilot4064

    3 жыл бұрын

    I totally agree!

  • @dr.floridaman4805

    @dr.floridaman4805

    3 жыл бұрын

    Only in death. While alive a person has the ability to taint their legacy.

  • @nightlightabcd

    @nightlightabcd

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@andreasproteus1465 - Then what do you think of treasonous, criminal Psycho Don's and his treasonous fascist parties and propagandist daily retarded, encouraging and supporting treasonous BS?

  • @glennraydavis

    @glennraydavis

    3 жыл бұрын

    yes yes I concur

  • @mcgam2000
    @mcgam20002 жыл бұрын

    As fluent Spanish speaker, it took me a long time before I realized what you were saying Potosi' the accent is on the last sailable potoSI

  • @goldgeologist5320
    @goldgeologist53203 жыл бұрын

    As a mining geologist I approve this episode. Well done History Guy! How about a few more geology subjects.

  • @pp7x79

    @pp7x79

    2 жыл бұрын

    hi fellow geologist! i hope to specialize in mining next 3 years. so nice :)

  • @O-sa-car

    @O-sa-car

    2 жыл бұрын

    yeah an episode on Tambora would be cool

  • @artjones2498
    @artjones24983 жыл бұрын

    ive said this 100 times...but if you were my teacher in high school i think i wouldve gotten a degree in history....and be a teacher....instead of being a heavy equipment mechanic....your the best teacher ive ever had....thank you

  • @gus473

    @gus473

    3 жыл бұрын

    👍🏼 History's important, but we'd be in sad shape without skilled mechanics! 😎✌🏼

  • @johneverson2433

    @johneverson2433

    3 жыл бұрын

    History taught in most schools has been censored so as not to offend people. I remember talking to my Grandfather about the Great Depression and how the banks closed. That’s when he told me what really happened was the banks took all of your savings and at the end of the month you had better not be late on your mortgage payment or they came and took your house

  • @HE-162

    @HE-162

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@johneverson2433 unfortunately this is the case in all nations. History is taught selectively and with bias to align with national interest. American children today learn nothing about the last 200 years of American imperialist actions across South America, despite the effects of those efforts(mass South American immigration) being central to modern politics. One has to wonder how the world might be if nations simply owned the truths of their past, and how the world might be if the world taught its children the truth instead of the party line.

  • @chloehennessey6813

    @chloehennessey6813

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@HE-162 In my school we learned about all of our history. Including the bad stuff. Okay, I acknowledge America’s ancestors were colonials and did some bad things. Now what?

  • @tissuepaper9962

    @tissuepaper9962

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@HE-162 we definitely learned more than "nothing" about our meddling in SA, but we definitely didn't get taught nearly enough about it.

  • @analuna1771
    @analuna17713 жыл бұрын

    I am a Bolivian. Thank you History Guy for showing the world that Potosi still exists.

  • @theonlygoodlookinghabsburg2081
    @theonlygoodlookinghabsburg20813 жыл бұрын

    I really appreciate this episode. I love it when history channels shed light on the working people of the past and not solely focus on the glories of kings, generals and emperors.

  • @jimdandy8119

    @jimdandy8119

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@sunnyjim1355 Well they aren't anymore. Think that might become a problem for the "elites"?

  • @rogerodle8750
    @rogerodle87503 жыл бұрын

    I see offerings of The History Guy about subjects that I can't imagine being interested in. But I watch them, because... the power of The History Guy compels me. I am never disappointed.

  • @st3v3b0b7
    @st3v3b0b73 жыл бұрын

    Potosi, MO in the center of the Missouri Lead Belt known for producing the Lead for Ammunition and Batteries

  • @handimanjay6642

    @handimanjay6642

    2 жыл бұрын

    🤔 so they town of Lead Mine was…..?

  • @dsc4178
    @dsc41783 жыл бұрын

    Silver robbed a bank; when caught, silver's sterling reputation was tarnished.

  • @rbnhd1976

    @rbnhd1976

    3 жыл бұрын

    3/10 nice try (jk)

  • @goodun2974

    @goodun2974

    3 жыл бұрын

    Silver's reputation will forever be tarnished by the things men will do to get their hands on more of it..

  • @scottydog1313

    @scottydog1313

    3 жыл бұрын

    Ore was it? Things might pan out for him, and he'll be fine.

  • @bremnersghost948

    @bremnersghost948

    2 жыл бұрын

    Long John Silver approves

  • @kevinhorne7881

    @kevinhorne7881

    2 жыл бұрын

    That's truly horrible... in the very best possible way!

  • @kendavis8046
    @kendavis80463 жыл бұрын

    As part of my economics courses 4 decades ago, I read "The Wealth of Nations". A very dry read, but it was obviously a tremendously important work. Thanks, History Guy!

  • @erikjohnson9223

    @erikjohnson9223

    3 жыл бұрын

    People with kids: I credit Adam Smith's book with teaching me how to reason from evidence, which in turn enabled me to reason well and write good essay responses, skills that enabled me to ace most of the Advanced Placement tests I attempted. Some books are classic for a reason.

  • @jimrathert4960
    @jimrathert49603 жыл бұрын

    Excellent and very fluent presentation. I dare say “You are blessed with a silver- tongue “

  • @elcastorgrande
    @elcastorgrande3 жыл бұрын

    Our word "dollar" comes from the Joachimsthal silver mines (modern Czech Republic). The coins struck were called "Joachimsthaler" at first, then shortened to "thaler".

  • @MervynPartin

    @MervynPartin

    2 жыл бұрын

    There was also Uranium deposits in the Joachimsthal mines, but the only use for it in those days was as a green pigment for staining glass in church windows.

  • @dr.ofdubiouswisdom4189
    @dr.ofdubiouswisdom41893 жыл бұрын

    There is a city named Petoskey Mich. No silver, just Petoskey stones. History Guy...you do find some gems tho, thanks!

  • @samiam619

    @samiam619

    3 жыл бұрын

    I’m far far away, but I’ve heard of these Petoskey stones… I’m outside East Jordan, Michigan! 😀

  • @spawniscariot9756

    @spawniscariot9756

    3 жыл бұрын

    Well, I'm certainly glad THG erred about this. Now I've learnt about Petoskey stones as well!

  • @belliott538

    @belliott538

    3 жыл бұрын

    I learned about Petoskey Stones along with Puddin’ Stones watching “Michigan Rocks” here on YT...

  • @loke6664
    @loke66643 жыл бұрын

    Very interesting, I wouldn't min another episode on the silver mine in Germany where the term "dollar" comes from as well. Spain was annoyed that many of the new world silver mines were mixed with the worthless platinum metal, I think they dumped a lot of the platinum at sea. Not a great idea in hindsight.

  • @danielplazak8131

    @danielplazak8131

    3 жыл бұрын

    Joachimsthal (now Jachymov) was never in Germany, but Bohemia (now the Czech Republic). The silver coins minted there were called "Joachimsthalers", shortened to "thalers", corrupted by the Dutch to "dalers", and passed on in English as "dollars". The 8-real coins (pieces of eight) becxame known as Spanish dollars, and became the model for the American silver dollar.

  • @stefanschleps8758

    @stefanschleps8758

    3 жыл бұрын

    I want some.

  • @dbmail545

    @dbmail545

    3 жыл бұрын

    I was told that they considered platinum to be "green gold" and threw it back in the river to "ripen"

  • @Smokey298

    @Smokey298

    2 жыл бұрын

    Any time you can collect a lot of something its valuable.

  • @ajhubbell3754
    @ajhubbell37548 күн бұрын

    I found myself here because I am researching a 8 Reales silver coin recovered from the Atocha shipwreck that I recently inherited. I can now hold in my hand a coin that was mined and minted in Petosi Bolivian between 1613-1616 and later sunk off the Florida keys in 1622. A fantastic piece of history.

  • @jliller
    @jliller3 жыл бұрын

    The changes in the South American silver mints helped identify a shipwreck on the Florida East Coast as the 1659 wreck of the San Miguel Archangel.

  • @kurtdietrich5421
    @kurtdietrich54213 жыл бұрын

    My brother-in-law and his brother were divers for Mel Fisher when they found the Nuestra Senora de Atocha with hundreds of ingots of silver from Potosi. Very cool story.

  • @Dan4CW

    @Dan4CW

    2 жыл бұрын

    Cool!

  • @mikeorclem
    @mikeorclem3 жыл бұрын

    A termite walks into the bar and asks, ‘Is the bar tender here?’

  • @sirrathersplendid4825
    @sirrathersplendid48253 жыл бұрын

    Potosi in Bolivia is an incredible place too visit. At 4090 metres you’re constantly sort of breath. It’s a huge effort just to go up the street to grab some food. If you ever acclimatise you can do a tour of the mines. Not advisable if you’re out of shape or get claustrophobia as many passages are very narrow.

  • @utahroofingpros

    @utahroofingpros

    2 жыл бұрын

    I lived in Potosi in 1984. I was able to ese inside the mines, I saw the mint (la casa de la moneda) where the slaves produce the coins. I saw their foot prints, worn in the stone floor where they stood for years

  • @clydedopheide1033
    @clydedopheide10332 жыл бұрын

    I love how you bring obscure history to the fore and explain how it's important.

  • @philliphawkins6905
    @philliphawkins69053 жыл бұрын

    Thank You History Guy! So much unknown history... thank you for bringing the stories of humankind's history to the light.

  • @AllDayAirBalls
    @AllDayAirBalls3 жыл бұрын

    I can’t wait for this channel to reach a million subscribers, I can’t think of someone who deserves it more. Keep up the good work THG!

  • @PhilipAnderson

    @PhilipAnderson

    2 жыл бұрын

    Instead of THUG LIFE, THG LIFE should be admired!

  • @waltergazda6050
    @waltergazda60503 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for this wonderful production. Dr, Walter Gazda

  • @MrLemonbaby
    @MrLemonbaby3 жыл бұрын

    This vid was one of your best. So much to think about packed into so little time... hats off.

  • @goneutt
    @goneutt3 жыл бұрын

    An inflation example. If you base your economy on a scarce resource like silver, finding too much of it makes everything a joke. I remember a African king going to Mecca ruining the economy by paying way too much for resources on his way.

  • @TheHistoryGuyChannel

    @TheHistoryGuyChannel

    3 жыл бұрын

    kzread.info/dash/bejne/nKKVk6eHiZjOmZc.html

  • @goodun2974

    @goodun2974

    3 жыл бұрын

    Basing your economy on something that sorta kinda *does* grow on trees, like Holland and tulips historically, didn't work out so well either.

  • @goodun2974

    @goodun2974

    3 жыл бұрын

    And now, we have the special type of inflation caused by *gentrification*, where people with money move in to an area formerly populated by lower middle class or poor people,and as the money comes in with the rich people it drives up the price of everything from rent to food to taxes, so that the poor people can't afford to live there anymore.

  • @farticlesofconflatulation

    @farticlesofconflatulation

    3 жыл бұрын

    Even then they were “makin’ it rain”!

  • @Foolish188

    @Foolish188

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@goodun2974 And then the Middleclass creates laws, zoning and ordinances designed to protect "Property Values" and finish driving the poor out.

  • @neddreadmaynard
    @neddreadmaynard3 жыл бұрын

    WHAT?? A mention of the golden age of pirates but no "every good story involves pirates "!! Wonderful content as expected. Love from the UK.

  • @vsolyomi
    @vsolyomi2 жыл бұрын

    Definitely deserves to be remembered. Thank you.

  • @EricGreniervideo
    @EricGreniervideo Жыл бұрын

    I think what I like the most is that you demonstrate your love for history in your passion.

  • @billbeyatte
    @billbeyatte3 жыл бұрын

    Just about to write, "add Potosi, Missouri", to your list when I read your pinned comment. It's rare that I'm able find an inaccuracy in your exhaustively researched videos. Thanks.

  • @jeffbangkok
    @jeffbangkok3 жыл бұрын

    More interesting history. My awakened brain cells thanks you

  • @mattmacalpine2239
    @mattmacalpine2239 Жыл бұрын

    My son and I love watching you're videos. Keep them coming.

  • @uppitywhiteman6797
    @uppitywhiteman67973 жыл бұрын

    His inflection, emphasis, and pauses are outstanding and near perfection. Great presenter.

  • @EricDPeterson56
    @EricDPeterson563 жыл бұрын

    I have a Potosi minted 4 Real that came off of the Atocha shipwreck. It has no date stamp, but must have been minted around 1618.

  • @stewartritchey7602

    @stewartritchey7602

    3 жыл бұрын

    Priceless history

  • @eduardoribeiro383
    @eduardoribeiro3833 жыл бұрын

    Very very nicely done. May I suggest that you look at the Gold Cycle happened in Brazil a few decades later, that paid for the reconstruction of Lisboa, generated wealth for the Hanseatic League, England and other colonial powers. To this day, in Portuguese the verbs Exploit and Explore are only one word (explorar) its a great reflection of how language and ethics reflect each other.

  • @richellen6855
    @richellen68553 жыл бұрын

    What a fabulous episode. Well done, as usual!

  • @laserbeam002
    @laserbeam0023 жыл бұрын

    Loved it. I had never heard of Potosi. Thank you for posting. Always look forward to a new post.

  • @ianmacfarlane1241
    @ianmacfarlane12413 жыл бұрын

    Doesn't every good story contain pirates...? Pieces of eight...pieces of eight.

  • @stevenhoman2253

    @stevenhoman2253

    3 жыл бұрын

    i have always prefered pieces of nine

  • @ianmacfarlane1241

    @ianmacfarlane1241

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@stevenhoman2253 That reminds me of the old pizza gag. Pizza cook "Would you like your pizza cut into six slices or eight slices?" Customer "Better just make it six - I don't know if I'll be able to manage eight"

  • @Face2theScr33n

    @Face2theScr33n

    3 жыл бұрын

    Then their gov't declared them to be "pieces of six"... Lord strike me dead if I'm wrong, but some things never change... Edit to add: not struck dead.

  • @ThatBobGuy850

    @ThatBobGuy850

    3 жыл бұрын

    Ian Macfarlane, thank you! I always remembered that riff: "Gold doubloons and pieces of eight...pieces of eight" But for the life of me I couldn't remember where it was from. Now that you "triggered" me, it only took a couple of clicks to find the song. Aint the internet grand? What would I have done in the "bad old days" before Google??

  • @BlackMambo

    @BlackMambo

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@ThatBobGuy850 let me guess... "Treasure Island"? 🤷🏽‍♂️

  • @justme8184
    @justme81843 жыл бұрын

    as usual, an excellent story. i will however attempt to assist you in your pronunciation of the mine's name..Potosí is accented on the last syllable, different from most Spanish words . Keep up the good work, I look forward to many new episodes

  • @marcellab3537

    @marcellab3537

    3 жыл бұрын

    Poetoe-See

  • @mindfulwebworker
    @mindfulwebworker3 жыл бұрын

    Excellent report. Thanks for all you do.

  • @stephenstevens6573
    @stephenstevens65733 жыл бұрын

    Fascinating. Never even heard a whisper about this. Thank you

  • @PaulfromChicago
    @PaulfromChicago3 жыл бұрын

    The beer in Potosi WI is rock solid. And the brewery is one of the oldest in the United States. It's history that is worth remembering.

  • @alvaroiturralde1579

    @alvaroiturralde1579

    Жыл бұрын

    If you ever go to Bolivia you should try Potosina, also a rock solid beer from one of the highest breweries in the world ;)

  • @sewwithmsjones1196
    @sewwithmsjones11963 жыл бұрын

    As a Missourian, when I first read the title I assumed it would be about the mining industry in Potosi, MO. I had never heard of the silver mines in Bolivia.

  • @Mirrorseven
    @Mirrorseven3 жыл бұрын

    Great episode, even more so than usual. Keep up the great work man, it is much appreciated

  • @charlesclager6808
    @charlesclager68083 жыл бұрын

    This piece of history certainly DOES need to be remembered. Excellent video.

  • @nokiot9
    @nokiot92 жыл бұрын

    Holy cow I think I’ve been there! In armadillo near San Luis Potosí! I went with my metal detector. Found my first and only piece of Spanish silver in a river bed that runs right through town.

  • @oteliogarcia1562
    @oteliogarcia15623 жыл бұрын

    The Manila - Acapulco Galleon Trade. 250 years of global trade.

  • @theoutlook55

    @theoutlook55

    3 жыл бұрын

    I'm so glad someone else is mentioning the Manila Galleon, also called the Nao de China. My dad talks about it pretty often. He is a history buff and has a whole PowerPoint presentation devoted to that one topic.

  • @TheHitsJustKeepComin
    @TheHitsJustKeepComin3 жыл бұрын

    This is probably one of your best videos content and unexpected consequences combined!

  • @ryurazu
    @ryurazu2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for well presented short info into silver for Potosi

  • @rodneycarey44
    @rodneycarey443 жыл бұрын

    Wow! A mountain summit sinking due to tunnels beneath. That is a lot of digging!

  • @jeffreymartucci7184
    @jeffreymartucci71843 жыл бұрын

    I have several pieces of silver from Potosi from the Atocha.

  • @sarahwatts7152

    @sarahwatts7152

    3 жыл бұрын

    Do you know if they're from a debased batch/clipped? I know this ruined the value of the coins way back when but I'd personally like them because of the story.

  • @stewartritchey7602

    @stewartritchey7602

    3 жыл бұрын

    Priceless history.

  • @BrianStocking

    @BrianStocking

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@sarahwatts7152 Atocha sank in 1622 before all the corruption at Potosi. Though some of the coins found on her and her sister ships, have shown a variety of errors and can be very rare or scarce. The corruption at Potosi coins would be 1640's through 1648, 4 and 8 Reales and would be quite rare.

  • @sarahwatts7152

    @sarahwatts7152

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@BrianStocking That's wicked cool! (I didn't realize you were talking about a shipwreck!)

  • @BCFalls1

    @BCFalls1

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@BrianStocking yes, we got 2 coins with a reverse stamp, one on obverse and the other coin the other side, that was, until one day we were comparing the 2 a few years later when I brought mine over to my Mother's for safe keeping, I said to her, what is reversed on your coin? She said Obverse, but my obverse is the same as your obverse yet my paperwork says the other side and it is, we discovered they made a mistake, my coin is reverse stamped on both sides and as far as I know, no other coin like that exists as only 2 coins could get through maximum with a flaw or 1 coin max on both sides before the stamp was replaced (and they would have missed the 1st reverse stamp altogether), my coin has all the markings and fully intact as a 1622 coin. I need to get it re-appraised but covid has delayed that for over a year now. It has to go the the Keys in Florida. As 1 of 1, can you even put a price on it? But at least get it on the books as existing.

  • @sharky7665
    @sharky76653 жыл бұрын

    Your history lessons are golden.

  • @buddharuci2701
    @buddharuci27013 жыл бұрын

    Well done. And thanks. Several years ago I visited Potosi and learned quite a bit about the horrifying impact the mine and the Spanish overlords had on the indigenous peoples there. Even today, as you indicated, people - children - are dying as they work the mines. Wealth for some, death for others. Let us reflect.

  • @KokkiePiet
    @KokkiePiet3 жыл бұрын

    According to Paul Kennedy in rise and fall of the great powers the enormous amounts of silver that came from South America was a mayor factor in the downfall of the Spanish empire since it was basically the same as printing huge amounts of money. It became cheaper for Spain to import all products than produce them themselves. It did however blessed the Dutch economy who, while at war with Spain we sold them everything

  • @shemp308
    @shemp3083 жыл бұрын

    I watch all of your video's! And always enjoy them.

  • @MaddRamm
    @MaddRamm3 жыл бұрын

    This was a great video! I like how you emphasized how this one subject had such far reaching ramifications for the whole world and echos today in the modern world. Well done!

  • @Trigonography
    @Trigonography3 жыл бұрын

    I was quite skeptical that the itty-bitty mining town of Potosi, where some of my ancestors are buried, had ever had a noticeable impact on the world... and then as soon as The History Guy pronounced it "pə·tō·si" and I knew he couldn't have been talking about the mining town where my ancestors are buried, which is in Missouri and is pronounced "tō·zi" (rhymes with "rosy".) Actually, I hadn't known about the one in Bolivia before I saw this video. Thanks for educating me! And now, for the rest of my life, I will be amused by the fact that the sentence "Potosi is a forgotten American mining town on a mountain once occupied by the Spanish and where there are deposits of valuable minerals such as lead and zinc ores" describes more than one place.

  • @charlescolson305

    @charlescolson305

    2 жыл бұрын

    The Bolivian city's name is more properly pronounced "poh toh SEE" due to the accented final /i/ as indicated in the Spanish rendition of the indigenous word. There is some disagreement whether it comes from Quechua (the language of the Inca) or Aymara but the New World Encyclopedia renders the meaning as "thunderous noise" and relates an interesting story of the name's origin.

  • @spddiesel
    @spddiesel3 жыл бұрын

    Potosi, WI, is approximately 5 miles long and 2 blocks wide.

  • @johnwilhelm9854
    @johnwilhelm98543 жыл бұрын

    History Guy, you are da bomb! Thanks for another great topic!

  • @andyrbush
    @andyrbush3 жыл бұрын

    Every time I watch THG I am amazed at how much we were not taught in history classes. THG is green to listen to and learn from. Our history teacher was only good for sending us into study other subjects.

  • @andrewgreen7234
    @andrewgreen72343 жыл бұрын

    Excellent episode! Learned 100%. I love money history.

  • @currentriver4951
    @currentriver49513 жыл бұрын

    Potosi, Missouri

  • @tedthesailor172
    @tedthesailor1722 жыл бұрын

    I used to think I'd had a reasonable education until I encountered The History Guy and discovered endless things of enormous consequence that I'd never even heard of...

  • @kimfleury

    @kimfleury

    2 жыл бұрын

    Even so, buyer beware. He's got some stuff wrong in this one. I could point you to his sources. If he's unaware of the sources that disagree with his, then his fault is in not looking thoroughly.

  • @BlackMambo
    @BlackMambo3 жыл бұрын

    +The History Guy , that was OUTSTANDING! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

  • @larrybelken7568
    @larrybelken75683 жыл бұрын

    You should check out Cerro Gorda in California, once the largest silver mines in the USA. It has quite a story behind it and has a very successful KZreadr who owns it and is living there and trying to tell the history. Maybe a future story for THG?

  • @gus473

    @gus473

    3 жыл бұрын

    While we're at it, Panamint's boom and bust is a pretty good story too....!

  • @gertsgarden

    @gertsgarden

    3 жыл бұрын

    My first thought when I saw the title. Please Mr History Guy…

  • @richardmourdock2719
    @richardmourdock27193 жыл бұрын

    Excellent episode. The endemic people still reside in the area, pronounced "Catch ah wah". Itchy Boots (a geologist as well as world motorcycle traveler) KZreadr, toured the working mine about two years ago. Having spent a career in mining, I still cannot believe the conditions that are "normal" there today. Highly recommend.

  • @Wes32168
    @Wes321683 жыл бұрын

    Excellent episode Professor!

  • @bobsmoot2392
    @bobsmoot23923 жыл бұрын

    Sparkling insight into another leg of our journey. Amazing how it all interlocks. Thanks Professor.

  • @micallef87
    @micallef873 жыл бұрын

    Not one of his videos have I ever thought was a waste of my time and I’ve watched a fair few of them!

  • @sunnyjim1355

    @sunnyjim1355

    3 жыл бұрын

    Then why haven't you watched all of them then?

  • @garysilver718
    @garysilver7183 жыл бұрын

    We have Cerro Gordo silver mines in California.

  • @XmarkedSpot

    @XmarkedSpot

    3 жыл бұрын

    The channel of the chap who now owns Cerro Gordo: kzread.info/dron/EjBDKfrqQI4TgzT9YLNT8g.html

  • @TheNimshew

    @TheNimshew

    3 жыл бұрын

    There's also a Potosi, California

  • @AlphaGeekgirl

    @AlphaGeekgirl

    3 жыл бұрын

    Did they name them after you?

  • @TheNimshew

    @TheNimshew

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@AlphaGeekgirl Only if he's about 300 years old.

  • @deniseb3897
    @deniseb38973 жыл бұрын

    That was really fascinating. Stuff like this is why I enjoy this channel so much.

  • @danowolf
    @danowolf2 жыл бұрын

    As always an excellent take on an event or place or thing.

  • @rnader9749
    @rnader97493 жыл бұрын

    Looking dapper

  • @Ammo08
    @Ammo083 жыл бұрын

    Potosi, Missouri is about two hours north of here...their riches in the old days were the lead mines.

  • @hillbillyb4u

    @hillbillyb4u

    3 жыл бұрын

    I grew up two hours south of St. Louis. I just learned where Potosi MO got its name

  • @raymondoverson8715
    @raymondoverson87153 жыл бұрын

    Wow that is amazing. Thanks for all your hard work.

  • @nielsstilson9834
    @nielsstilson9834 Жыл бұрын

    Your work is always great, but this one was exceptional!

  • @sleeper_san619
    @sleeper_san6193 жыл бұрын

    That's a lot of silver. I can only imagine.

  • @sampetrie340
    @sampetrie3403 жыл бұрын

    As far as historical significance, I would suggest that the discovery of silver veins in Laurion was more important. The Spanish would have exploited other other sources of precious metals in the new world if Potosi had never existed. If Laurion had never existed, the Athenian fleet would never have been built and the Persian empire would almost certainly have nipped in the bud incipient western civilizations.

  • @davidc6510
    @davidc65102 жыл бұрын

    Fascinating topic. Thank you for sharing!

  • @matthewellisor5835
    @matthewellisor58353 жыл бұрын

    If already produced, I couldn't find videos on A. Smith, F. Bastiat, H. Hazlitt or L. Read. Thank you for introducing me to so much history that deserves to be remembered!

  • @jeromebarry1741
    @jeromebarry17413 жыл бұрын

    Regarding silver, a simple search of the term "silver" in the online King James Bible yields many references to it amounting to the vast majority of recorded human history. This present generation of bitcoin vs fiat money makes people forget that silver was once real money worth fighting for.

  • @firstmkb

    @firstmkb

    3 жыл бұрын

    One of my favorite quotes was by one of the Hunt brothers, after they failed to corner the silver market in the 70's: "A billion dollars isn't what it used to be."

  • @goodun2974

    @goodun2974

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@firstmkb , and, as has been said, " money can't buy you love"....

  • @weekendjail1417

    @weekendjail1417

    3 жыл бұрын

    Still is real money.

  • @PhilipAnderson

    @PhilipAnderson

    2 жыл бұрын

    It will be again when America’s fiat money loses reserve currency status and hyperinflation kicks in. Very few will see this coming and be prepared for that upheaval in society. The retirement savings of large numbers of Americans will evaporate quickly, since few even know what the Weimar Republic was. Ignorance is what our heralded History Guy battles against.

  • @NoahSpurrier
    @NoahSpurrier3 жыл бұрын

    Silver, gold, tin, aluminium, tungsten, titanium are my favorite metals.

  • @oneshothunter9877

    @oneshothunter9877

    3 жыл бұрын

    Me: Lead and copper.

  • @raydunakin

    @raydunakin

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@oneshothunter9877 Manganese and molybdenum for me, just because they're fun to say. :-)

  • @dghart76
    @dghart763 жыл бұрын

    We need more videos like these. Great work

  • @richarddismore5901
    @richarddismore59013 жыл бұрын

    I miss watching your videos. I have been a subscriber for a long time and clicked "ALL" but I still seldom see anything new from you. This is one of your best and it makes up for not seeing anything new for awhile. Excellent presentation and I enjoyed it very much. Richard

  • @TheHistoryGuyChannel

    @TheHistoryGuyChannel

    3 жыл бұрын

    I don’t know why you are not getting notifications. I have continued producing videos three days a week.

  • @lizj5740

    @lizj5740

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@TheHistoryGuyChannel I used to get notifications via email. Now, I have to go looking. Once I am on a KZread site, I can click on the bell at the upper right (next to my avatar) and get a drop-down list of what's been happening both with new postings from sites to which I have subscribed and with replies to comments I have made on videos. Alternatively, if I go to a KZreadr's home page, on the left all my subscriptions are listed with a blue dot to the right of those that have posted recently.

  • @alanmoffat4454
    @alanmoffat44543 жыл бұрын

    SO TALKING ABOUT PIRATES JUST HOW MUCH SILVER IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA .

  • @ProvidenceNL

    @ProvidenceNL

    3 жыл бұрын

    Alot. $771 Trillion Worth Of Gold Lies Hidden In The Ocean, and thats just gold.

  • @mot0rhe4d40

    @mot0rhe4d40

    3 жыл бұрын

    Less and less as naval ships map the ocean floor with new technologies. Yet even there a pocket full of Spanish Reales would bless you. 😉 Metal detectorists still locate from time to time Spanish Reales on the gold coast of Florida that are pushed ashore by tidal influences to this day.

  • @jeromebarry1741

    @jeromebarry1741

    3 жыл бұрын

    Knowing it's there isn't similar to going out and getting it.

  • @thezfunk

    @thezfunk

    3 жыл бұрын

    A friend's Dad retired to Florida where he works as a salvage diver recovering gold and silver from shipwrecks. Their team hunts down old wrecks and they go out and recover whatever they can.

  • @PhilipAnderson

    @PhilipAnderson

    2 жыл бұрын

    Don’t forget the “worthless” Platinum the Spanish dumped into the sea!

  • @allanlank
    @allanlank3 жыл бұрын

    Does man mold metal or metal mold man? The mine at Potosi Peru would have funded the Spanish wars in Italy and the Austrian wars in the Balkans. A dispute over silver mines in Iberia, flashed the Second Punic War. The silver near Athens kept it free from the Persians. A disruption in tin mining in Afghanistan may have triggered the "Great Bronze Age Collapse".

  • @62forged
    @62forged3 жыл бұрын

    Another excellent video. Thanks!

  • @coinbutton1
    @coinbutton13 жыл бұрын

    I have found many cobs and cut reales. This video made them much more important to me. Thanks

  • @darrenchapman7203
    @darrenchapman72033 жыл бұрын

    Look forward to watching your videos, if you haven't already done one, maybe the story of the eureka stockade in the Victorian gold fields of Australia the birth place of the Southern Cross flag which was at the time a symbol of unity to miners from around the world, now unfortunately often used by racist groups,

  • @ScumfuckMcDoucheface

    @ScumfuckMcDoucheface

    3 жыл бұрын

    no kidding? I'll have to read up on that. =)

  • @goodun2974

    @goodun2974

    3 жыл бұрын

    The co-opting of flags to represent something different than originally intended serves as a good example of why George Carlin once said "I leave symbols to the symbol-minded".

  • @clayedwards987
    @clayedwards9873 жыл бұрын

    What happened to, "don't all good stories involve pirates?"

  • @cornbreadfedkirkpatrick9647

    @cornbreadfedkirkpatrick9647

    3 жыл бұрын

    Aye Aye Capt'n

  • @robertneal4244

    @robertneal4244

    3 жыл бұрын

    It does appear to be missing.

  • @dirus3142

    @dirus3142

    3 жыл бұрын

    Yet my brain heard him say it any way.

  • @chrisball3778
    @chrisball37783 жыл бұрын

    I already knew a fair bit about Potosi, but I still learned a lot from this video, and will be reading more because I watched it. It's really amazing how much impact one mountain has had on the history of the world.

  • @joseantoniodepilares6509
    @joseantoniodepilares65093 жыл бұрын

    BRAVO. Best episode yet

  • @tm8951
    @tm89513 жыл бұрын

    As long as we're talking about Bolivia, I would like to hear the story of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid. Thank you and have a good day

  • @HellFollows

    @HellFollows

    3 жыл бұрын

    He has done that story, search channel.

  • @TheHistoryGuyChannel

    @TheHistoryGuyChannel

    3 жыл бұрын

    studio.kzread.infolgF3MRxpx2E/edit?Fmy_videos

  • @tm8951

    @tm8951

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@HellFollows Thanks

  • @Jedikun
    @Jedikun3 жыл бұрын

    You forgot Petosi, Missouri! A place as much associated with death and imprisonment as its South American counterpart

  • @timwright4695
    @timwright46952 жыл бұрын

    Just found you. Very impressed. Petoskey, Mi. Close. Gonna watch as many of these vids as I can before my eyes fall out tonite.

  • @tomkelly6833
    @tomkelly68333 жыл бұрын

    Thank you history guy, another informative video. Keep them coming.

  • @TheDarthSoldier
    @TheDarthSoldier3 жыл бұрын

    Good morning history junkies