In the 16th century, this area was regarded as the world`s largest industrial complex. The extraction of silver ore relied on a series of hydraulic mills. The site consists of the industrial monuments of the Cerro Rico, where water is provided by an intricate system of aqueducts and artificial lakes, the colonial town with the Casa de la Moneda the Church of San Lorenzo several patrician houses and the barrios mitayos, the areas where the workers lived.