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City of Potosí

South America, Bolivia · Cultural site · UNESCO World Heritage property #420

High ConcernConfidence: Supportedas of October 15, 2026

Significance

Potosí is a colonial silver-mining city that UNESCO describes as the example par excellence of a major silver mine of the modern era, reputed to be the world's largest industrial complex in the 16th century. The property includes the Cerro Rico mines, a network of reservoirs and aqueducts, the colonial town with the Casa de la Moneda and the Church of San Lorenzo, patrician houses and the workers' quarters (barrios mitayos). It is inscribed under criteria (ii), (iv) and (vi).

Current Status Rationale

Historical damage is documented in the site's record, but the current classification is based on present conditions and the most recent credible evidence. The 2011 summit collapse and the 2014 danger listing are recorded in events[]. Present conditions: UNESCO's Danger List page and the 2026 Committee decision (48 COM 7A.33) show Potosi is currently on the List and was retained there. The Committee's 2025 decision expressed utmost concern about the property's prolonged presence on the List; in 2026 it appreciated steady progress toward the Desired State of Conservation for removal, welcomed an updated Management Plan and funded follow-up measures, and still encouraged continued mine closures and relocation of miners. The mountain remains actively mined and the sinkhole problem is ongoing: Comibol reportedly recorded 144 sinkholes in February 2026, 55 of them above 4,400 m, and the UNESCO-summarised State Party reports show incomplete closure of mine sections above 4,400 m as of the 2024 report. Offsetting this, water-quality monitoring of the Kari Kari lagoons is reported positive and the 2025 minor boundary modification was approved. I therefore classify this as High Concern. Confidence is Supported rather than Confirmed because the Danger List status and Committee findings are confirmed from UNESCO, but the 2025 and 2026 UNESCO State of Conservation pages and the 2026 report returned errors and were not read, so the independent assessment of the summit's current physical condition rests on UNESCO decisions plus attributed press reports. Confidence does not change the status.

Serious, currently active threats are documented, or major historical damage remains substantially unrepaired. Credible sources support this status, with some limits on corroboration.

Threat Categories

Conservation / Structural

The property is on the List of World Heritage in Danger (inscribed 2014) mainly because of 'continued and uncontrolled mining operations in the Cerro Rico Mountain' (UNESCO news, June 2014), together with instability and collapse risk at Cerro Rico, conservation deficiencies, weak enforcement of protective legislation and environmental effects on the hydraulic complex. UNESCO's pages for the property use the terms sinkholes, instability and collapse risk; the word 'subsidence' is not used on the pages read. ICOMOS (2025) states that a portion of the Cerro Rico summit collapsed in February 2011. Counts of summit sinkholes in the sources differ by date, scope and who is reporting: the 2017 UNESCO summary of the State Party report refers to 132 'sinking areas' identified at the summit, 95% of which the State Party reported refilled with dry filler in the second phase; the 2024 UNESCO summary of the State Party report refers to 140 identified, 32 dry-filled, with monthly monitoring of the rock massif; and in February 2026 the state mining company Comibol was reported by Correo del Sur as recording 144, of which 8 are large and 55 lie above elevation 4,400 m. The Committee in 2024 and 2025 urged the permanent closure of mining sections above 4,400 m; the 2024 State Party report (as summarised by UNESCO) says 19 of 40 sections were closed and 21 closing. In 2026 the Committee welcomed funded follow-up measures on the 'Critical Route' toward removal from the Danger List and encouraged continued action to preserve the structure and form of Cerro Rico, including mine closures and relocation of miners. It also noted, in 2025 and earlier, delays in implementing the Critical Route and the Integrated and Participatory Management Plan (IPMP), and expressed concern about the legal framework for the whole property (2024). In its January 2025 report the State Party (self-reported, executive summary) says stabilisation work by Comibol and the Potosí departmental government is continuing and that progress is being made in moving mining cooperatives above 4,400 m. A July 2026 press report (one expert, Universidad Autónoma Tomás Frías commission) claims two summit sinkholes have merged and warns of possible collapse of the summit cap; this is a single-source claim without independent confirmation and is not used as the basis for the status.

First identified: Not established — Chronic threat; the summit collapse in February 2011 (per ICOMOS) preceded the 2014 Danger List inscription, but instability is described as longstanding in UNESCO's 2017 summary ('longstanding instability and vulnerability of Cerro Rico'). No single start date applies.

Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, ICOMOS / UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Ministry of Cultures, Decolonization and Depatriarchalization, Plurinational State of Bolivia (via UNESCO World Heritage Centre), Correo del Sur, eju.tv (content from El Potosí)

Environmental / Climate

Water and mining effects on the hydraulic system: UNESCO's 2014 listing cited environmental effects on the hydraulic complex (aqueduct and artificial-lake system). The 2023 UNESCO summary of the State Party report lists surface water pollution among the threats and says mining concessions at the Kari Kari Lagoons could cause acid water contamination; the World Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies flagged environmental impacts of authorised mining within the Kari Kari Lagoons area, and the Committee expressed concern about the concessions. By 2024 the State Party reported that monitoring found the Kari Kari lagoons preserved and free from contamination, crediting water management and the 2022 closure of illegal mines; the Committee in 2024 welcomed their preservation and asked for continued rigorous monitoring, in 2025 stated it was satisfied with water-quality monitoring and environmental management of the Kari Kari range, and in 2026 commended continued monitoring including control measures and a ban on illegal mining. ICOMOS (2025) says the system's environmental sensitivity means systematic monitoring must be reinforced. On this evidence the water threat is documented and monitored, with improvement reported, rather than an unresolved acute emergency. No climate-specific threat was found in the sources read.

First identified: Not established — Chronic and monitored; the 2014 Danger List inscription already cited environmental effects on the hydraulic complex.

Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, ICOMOS / UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Historical Timeline

  1. 2011-02
    Part of the Cerro Rico summit collapses

    ICOMOS's 2025 evaluation states that a portion of the Cerro Rico summit collapsed in February 2011, which led to the property's listing on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2014 (38 COM 7B.38). A Mongabay article cited in this dossier refers to a significant cave-in near the peak in 2010, and the 2017 Los Tiempos report refers to a 'first collapse' at the summit in June 2010 (dates from press, not reconciled with ICOMOS); the sources differ and the dating has not been reconciled.

    Sources: ICOMOS / UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Los Tiempos (citing El Potosí)

  2. 2014-06-17
    City of Potosí added to the List of World Heritage in Danger

    At its 38th session in Doha, the World Heritage Committee placed the property on the Danger List because of 'continued and uncontrolled mining operations in the Cerro Rico Mountain' risking degradation of the site, citing also instability and collapse risk, conservation deficiencies, weak enforcement of protective legislation and environmental effects on the hydraulic complex.

    Sources: ICOMOS / UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre

  3. 2017-05
    World Heritage Centre / ICOMOS technical mission and Desired State of Conservation drafted

    A World Heritage Centre / ICOMOS technical mission visited 8-11 May 2017; UNESCO's page sets out a Desired State of Conservation for removal (DSOCR) with corrective measures proposed for 2017-2022. Conditions include stabilising the summit collapse, relocating miners above 4,400 m, conserving the Kari Kari Lagoons and approving integrated participatory management. UNESCO's page summarises a draft decision (41 COM 7A.23) to retain the property on the Danger List; the adopted text was not read. ICOMOS (2025) states the DSOCR was approved in 2017. A Los Tiempos report of 9 May 2017 separately told of a new summit collapse, with size figures from a civic-committee leader (not verified).

    Sources: ICOMOS / UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Los Tiempos (citing El Potosí)

  4. 2021-07
    Integrated and Participatory Management Plan (IPMP) approved

    UNESCO's 2023 summary of the State Party report says the IPMP was approved in July 2021 and contains 55 projects, with a management committee spanning national, departmental and municipal government.

    Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre

  5. 2023
    Committee retains Potosí on the Danger List (45 COM 7A.18) and State Party requests extension

    UNESCO's 2023 summary states that the Committee commended the State Party's efforts despite the difficult national context, welcomed the IPMP, kept the property on the Danger List, regretted the lack of legal progress and urged submission of the buffer zone boundary modification by 1 December 2023. The State Party had asked for at least a two-year extension of the corrective measures, citing political, social and pandemic-related constraints. UNESCO's summary says a September 2021 COMIBOL census found 21 cooperatives with 2,387 miners working (described as illegal) above the 4,400 m limit, and that an October 2021 relocation proposal offering three new areas met strong concerns from cooperative members.

    Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre

  6. 2024
    Committee decision 46 COM 7A.7 retains Potosí on the Danger List

    In New Delhi the Committee noted technical progress and the 'Critical Route' (which declares Cerro Rico in emergency status), expressed concern about the slow IPMP implementation rate and about the lack of significant action to consolidate and enforce the legal framework, welcomed slope stabilisation and dry filling of sinkholes, and urged permanent closure of mining sections above 4,400 m. It requested an updated report by 1 February 2025.

    Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre

  7. 2025
    Committee decision 47 COM 7A.27 retains Potosí on the Danger List

    The Committee expressed utmost concern about the property's prolonged presence on the List of World Heritage in Danger, noted delays in implementing the Critical Route and the IPMP, welcomed a photogrammetric archaeological survey of Cerro Rico and progress on slope stabilisation, urged permanent closure of mining sections above 4,400 m, and requested an updated report by 1 February 2026.

    Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre

  8. 2025
    Committee approves minor boundary modification (47 COM 8B.51)

    The Committee approved a minor boundary modification for the City of Potosí and recommended strengthening central management, integrating the boundaries and buffer zone into the IPMP with binding legal instruments, and fully protecting and monitoring the Kari Kari hydraulic system. UNESCO's property page records a property area of 2,210.93 ha and a buffer zone of 2,217.81 ha.

    Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, ICOMOS / UNESCO World Heritage Centre

  9. 2025-10
    Reported mining restrictions above 4,400 m

    Mongabay reported that in early October 2025 Comibol and the miners' federation FEDECOMIN limited mining to daytime weekdays and banned heavy machinery above 4,400 m, and that a Potosí court had ordered mine entrances above 4,400 m closed in 2022 with the work still unfinished; Minister Alejandro Santos Laura was quoted as saying the work was over 60% complete, with 20 mines above 4,400 m closed and 10 remaining. This rests on one outlet and was not corroborated by an official source in this pass; figures differ from the 2024 State Party report (19 of 40 sections closed, 21 closing).

    Sources: Mongabay Latam

  10. 2026-02-26
    Comibol reportedly records 144 sinkholes on Cerro Rico

    Correo del Sur reported that Comibol said it had recorded 144 sinkholes, 8 of them large and 55 in the upper part of the deposit (above elevation 4,400 m), with dry backfill the stated approach; university teachers cited in the article questioned dry backfill.

    Sources: Correo del Sur

  11. 2026
    Committee decision 48 COM 7A.33 retains Potosí on the Danger List

    At its 48th session in Busan the Committee welcomed the updated Management Plan (2024-2029) and funded follow-up measures on the Critical Route toward removal from the Danger List, commended continued water-quality monitoring of the lagoons, appreciated steady progress toward the Desired State of Conservation for removal, requested a detailed report at the 49th session and an updated report by 1 February 2027, and decided to retain the property on the Danger List.

    Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre

  12. 2026-07-16
    Press report of merged summit sinkholes (single expert)

    eju.tv, republishing El Potosí, reported that a Universidad Autónoma Tomás Frías preservation-commission representative said two summit sinkholes had merged and warned of a possible collapse of the summit cap. The article reports no independent verification or official confirmation, so this is recorded as a reported claim only.

    Sources: eju.tv (content from El Potosí)

Digital Preservation Index

Overall coverage: Moderate — Documented in several categories, with some notable gaps.

Two of five categories have publicly viewable evidence, which meets the moderate tier by count. This is a close call with limited: the photographic evidence is a small UNESCO gallery (six images, by four credited photographers), and the archival evidence is mostly UNESCO's own monitoring documents (decisions, State of Conservation reports, ICOMOS evaluations, a 2013-2014 mission report, Periodic Reporting 2023) rather than a nomination dossier (none was listed on the documents page). Not marked true: 3D documentation (Decision 47 COM 7A.27 mentions a photogrammetric archaeological survey of Cerro Rico, but no viewable model was found); virtual tour (searches returned only commercial tour sellers, not a tour); academic scholarship (no peer-reviewed article on Potosi was opened in this pass). Public findability only; Bolivian municipal, university or museum archives may hold more.

Law and commitments

Sources