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Continuing on where the other articles left off, Mangan writes about Potosi, a town that was radically transformed by the ever changing Atlantic trade. Potosi quickly became an urban center based around the nearby silver mines (Mangan 4). Not only was the actual town of Potosi affected by the newfound trade with Europeans, but its inhabitants were. Indigenous individuals were often forced to work in order to further European interests (Mangan 5). Similar to the authors of The Atlantic World, Mangan points out that nearly every aspect of life was affected, down to the food that was consumed by the indigenous people (Mangan 7).
While there are many similarities between Potosi and the Yoruba towns, the authors of Yoruba City Planning point out that their creation was much different. Unlike Potosi, the Yoruba towns were not created specifically by the Europeans, and were present long before European contact (Yoruba City Planning 1314). In fact, Yoruba cities confused Europeans, as they had a complex history and cultural that Europeans were not used to seeing (Yoruba City Planning 1316). Yoruba towns also mark a departure from the literature that has been discussed so far, as the towns were not based around any one thing, such as the trade or silver mines of Potosi. The authors of Yoruba City Planning make the argument that African cities were complex and developed long before European contact.
As my colleague Tram Hua pointed out, Yoruba cities were similar to Potosi due to the multiculturalism that they both had. Even the origins of Yoruba, which were Islamic, show a multiculturalism that is often ignored in discussing Africa (Yoruba City Planning 1316). Yoruba towns also relied on outside influences from nearby towns and settlements, which is also similar to Potosi. Also as my colleague pointed out, both cities are not often discussed because they are non-Western. As previously mentioned, Europeans of the time were confused by Yoruba, as they had no hand in its creation yet it subverted stereotypes.