San Luis de Alba facts for kids
San Luis de Alba was an old mining town in Peru. It was located near the city of Puno, right by Lake Titicaca. People often called it "San Luis de Alba" or simply "Laicacota."
This town became an official mining settlement in 1665. The Spanish Crown recognized it as an asiento, which means a special place for mining. It even got its own priest. San Luis de Alba was built close to silver mines. These mines were on the sides of mountains called Cerro Negro Peque and Cerro Cancharani. The most famous mines were Laicacota and Cancharani. Silver was first found there in 1657. A person named Jose de Salcedo discovered a silver vein at "Laicacota la Alta."
The town was left empty in 1668. This happened after some big conflicts and events known as the Laicacota Rebellion. Most of the people living there moved to Puno.
Life in San Luis de Alba
After it officially started in 1665, San Luis de Alba quickly grew. It became a large community focused on mining. One historian, Meredith Dodge, said that San Luis de Alba had over 3,000 houses by 1667. However, some experts now think this number might have included all the people in the Puno Bay area, not just San Luis de Alba.
The town had three different churches. These were the Iglesia de San Francisco, the Capilla del Señor Obispo, and the Capilla de las Animas. There was also a main square in the center of the town. Big houses belonging to important mine owners lined this square. San Luis de Alba did not have official town halls or government buildings. This was because it was seen as a mining camp, not a full town.
Other Silver Sites
Sometimes, the name San Luis de Alba has been mistakenly used for other silver processing places nearby. For example, a large silver processing site called Chorrillos Itapalluni was sometimes wrongly called "San Luis de Alba." People even called it the "Fort of San Luis de Alba."
But Chorrillos was actually about 2 kilometers west of San Luis de Alba. It was a place where silver was processed, like a factory. It was not a mining camp itself.
See also
In Spanish: San Luis de Alba para niños
