San Antonio de Lípez, Sud Lípez Province, Potosí Department, Bolivia

Silver mining started almost 500 years ago, in the early 16th century, even before the better known mines at Porco and Cerro de Potosi. The desolate town of San Antonio, at 4,550 meters elevation (about 15,000 feet), was the center of a small silver mining district. The Mesa de Plata vein/mine, 1.5km NE of the town, is the most famous. Studies in the mid-20th century showed that almost half a million tons of low-grade silver ore remain.