mines and mining
humboldt speaks of mexico as the treasure house of the world. it is one of the most richly mineralized regions ever discovered, and has produced one-third of the world’s supply of the white metal. mexico, together with peru, furnished the wealth that enabled spain to build up her great empire. and many a real castle in spain was built with the gold and silver taken out of these rugged mountains of new spain. the thirst for gold became a disease among spanish adventurers. the mind of columbus was distracted by the sight of natives along the coast of honduras, who were wearing pure gold suspended around their necks by cotton cords, and he temporarily gave up his voyage of discovery to search for the source of this great wealth.
no country can compare with mexico in the amount of silver of pure quality that has been produced. the largest lump of silver ever[275] found, weighing two thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds, was discovered by a poor indian in the state of sonora. because of a dispute as to the ownership, the crown solved the question by appropriating the entire amount. in fact the crown at first claimed two-thirds of all the precious metals mined which was afterwards reduced to one-fifth. some authorities estimate the amount of silver that has been produced in mexico at the enormous sum of $6,000,000,000, but two-thirds of that sum is probably in excess of the real value. the taxco, tzumepanco and temezcaltepec mines date from 1539 but the greatest number of the “bonanzas” were discovered between 1550 and 1700. many of them were located by priests, who, urged on by a fanatical zeal to convert the natives, pushed forth into unknown regions, and literally stumbled upon the rich ore-bearing quartz. the spanish viceregal government kept an accurate account of the silver mined in their red-tape method, for the royal one-fifth was carefully and jealously looked after. mine owners were compelled to make their reports regularly and correctly. a reference to these reports shows a record of almost untold wealth when it is remembered that this was long before the depreciation of silver.
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the story of the bonanza kings makes interesting reading. they made money so fast that it was almost impossible to spend it except over the gaming table, in those days before the invention of modern surplus-reducing luxuries. one man, zambrano, discovered a mine that made him extremely wealthy. although he lived in the various capitals of europe as extravagantly as the age permitted, yet he left a comfortable little fortune of $60,000,000 for his heirs to fight over. he even proposed to lay a sidewalk of silver bars in front of his house, but the authorities objected. he took out fifty-five million ounces of silver from one mine in twelve years as is shown by the government records.
many of those who accumulated great fortunes were made grandees of spain and some of the present titled families in that country are descendants of the famous bonanza kings of mexico. juan de o?ata who colonized new mexico at his own expense, founding santa fe, and became its first governor about 1598, was a son of one of the mining kings, and the wealth dug out of the earth in old mexico by his father furnished the means for founding that state.
joseph de la borda was one of the romantic characters of this age. he was a wandering[277] frenchman who came from canada in the first half of the eighteenth century and no one ever learned anything further about him. he made three fortunes and lost two of them because of his lavish gifts, most of which went to the church. he built several large churches in what is now the state of hidalgo. after losing his second fortune, the archbishop of mexico gave him permission to sell a magnificent diamond-studded ornament that he had given to the church in tasco. from this he realized $100,000, and after a great deal of prospecting, finally discovered another rich mine which yielded him many more millions.
pedro romero de terreros, from a humble shopkeeper, became count of regla, after acquiring great wealth from his mine, la viscayne. he built two large ships, one of one hundred and twelve guns, and presented them to his sovereign. he also loaned the crown $1,000,000 as freely as a man gives a friend a dollar, which sum the king never found it convenient to repay. in later life he founded the national pawn-shop, which he called the mount of piety and which has grown to be such a great humanitarian institution in the capital and other cities.
the conde de valenciana who discovered the famous valenciana mine of guanajuato is reported[278] to have made and spent $100,000,000 in a few years. one man discovered a rich mine on his ranch near durango that rendered him immensely wealthy. he sent a present of $2,000,000 to the king of spain and asked permission to build galleries and portales of silver around his fine new home. this was refused on the ground that such display was the privilege of royalty only.
a guanajuato miner paved the street with silver ingots for a distance of sixty yards for the procession to pass over on their way to the church on the occasion of the christening of his son. another story is told of a mining king who, on a similar occasion, paved the main aisle of the church with bars of silver for the baptismal party to walk upon. after the ceremony he wanted to remove the silver bars, but the wily priest told him that it would be an act of impiety which the almighty would surely punish. it was not done and the occasion proved to be an expensive christening for the cr?sus. godfathers became so reckless in throwing away money that one viceroy issued a proclamation forbidding them to fling handfuls of money in the street as had been their custom, because such acts encouraged improvidence.
i have seen the statement that there is one[279] man at mazatlan to-day who owns a mine whose entrance is protected by massive walls and gates. whenever he wants a hundred thousand or so of lucre, he simply takes in a few miners and digs out the ore and then gambles it away.
there is one noted mining king of to-day, pedro alvaredo, a full-blooded indian, who is known as the peon millionaire. a few years ago a mine that he owned “bonanzad,” as they call it, and he became immensely wealthy. however, he and his wife still dress in the peon clothes to which they were accustomed. he has built a mansion and furnished it with every kind of musical instrument to be obtained, including many makes of pianos. a few years ago he announced that he would pay off the national debt, but he found it a little too large.
the spaniards worked only the very richest of the mines. they would not touch ore that did not yield nearly a hundred ounces to the ton. their early methods were of the very crudest sort until the “patio” process was discovered and came into general use. if difficulties were met with in mining, these men simply worked around them and left great amounts of rich quartz untouched. the ore was so plentiful that they did not attempt to do their operations in a thorough manner. however they protected[280] the entrance by building great fortifications around the shafts, that look like the walled cities of old and were patrolled by armed guards. vast shafts were constructed down which run ladders. the poor peon toils up these ladders which sometimes aggregate more than a thousand rounds carrying a rawhide sack on his back containing two hundred and fifty pounds of ore without a rest, and will make several trips a day. in early times the natives were compelled to work in these mines to all intents and purposes as slaves, and were beaten and flogged even to death if they refused to obey their taskmasters. at night each peon was searched for fear he might conceal some of the precious metal. however as their costume was exceedingly simple the search was a very easy matter. the mines were cleared of water in the same way by the peons carrying it up these long ladders in rawhide buckets. many mines were abandoned on account of water in those days long before their wealth was exhausted. transportation was slow and expensive, and the mountain trails were kept dusty by the long trains of pack mules transporting treasures and supplies.
peon miners at lunch
until within the last few years since american capital has undertaken to develop many of the mexican mines, only the most primitive[281] methods were in use. even to-day many are operated in the same old way, although modern machinery is being rapidly introduced. the expense of fuel has been a great drawback in the less productive mines, and the shafts many hundreds of feet deep are worked with a windlass and mule power. coal costs as high as $15 (gold) per ton at the mine and is then cheaper than wood at $14 (silver) per cord. at these prices steam power becomes very expensive. in those early days only those ores could be mined at a profit that could be treated at the mine, because of the great expense of transporting the ore-laden rock on the backs of mules.
the patio process of amalgamating silver is still generally used. this first came into use in 1557, being discovered by bartolome de medina, a miner. the ore is first crushed into a powder by an immense rolling stone that is revolved by teams of mules. this powder is then carried into a patio, or paved court, by a stream of water until the mass is about two feet deep. quicksilver, salt and blue vitriol are then thrown into it and several teams of mules are driven around and around until the mass is thoroughly mixed, which requires several weeks. this is then thrown into troughs of water, where the amalgam of silver and quicksilver will sink to[282] the bottom. by a process of distillation the silver is then separated from the quicksilver. within five years after the discovery of this process zacatecas alone had thirty-five of these reduction works in operation. it is claimed that not over ten per cent. is lost by this simple method. the poor mules eventually become horrible looking sights from the action of the vitriol on their legs. this patio mud has been used in the construction of the huts of the peons. a company was formed to tear down a whole row of these huts in guanajuato just to extract the little metal that was left in them. the crown retained a monopoly on the quicksilver, and realized great profits upon this necessary metal in treating the silver ore.
the first bonanza mines were discovered at zacatecas in 1546 by juan de tolosa. so rich were they and so great was the influx of miners, that the place was made a city forty years later. for two hundred and fifty years fabulous sums of silver were taken from the hills surrounding this quaint city. some of the richest mines of the country have been located near pachuca. more than three hundred silver mines are found there and in the near-by districts of regla and real del monte. one mine, the trinidad, is said to have yielded $50,000,000 in ten years.[283] there was very little stock speculation with the mines in the early days. there was at least one exception where an english company bought an old producing mine and the $500 shares rose to $80,000 but in the end the mine proved to be a failure. catorce is also a rich mining town, and the mines have produced many millions of silver ore. the state of oaxaca is likewise rich in gold and silver bearing quartz. none of the great bonanzas were found there, but a steady stream of gold and silver has been produced by the oaxaca mines. i heard an interesting story of a young prospector who had spent several years and all his money in the search for wealth near ejutla in that state. having only a few dollars left he invested his all in dynamite and placed it in the lode with a prayer for luck. the blast revealed a rich “lead” which he sold for $600,000 a few days later.
the richest mineralized section in the whole republic is probably that in and around guanajuato, the “hill of the frogs.” this district was discovered by two mule drivers in 1548 who were on their way from zacatecas to the city of mexico, and from that date until the present time a billion and a half dollars’ worth of silver has been produced. a hundred years ago guanajuato was one of the largest cities and it is[284] admitted by all travellers to be one of the most picturesque cities in the new world. its wealthy mine owners lived like princes and spent their money like drunken sailors. fortunes were made and lost. about a hundred years ago two mines there were producing four million ounces of silver annually. these mines were worked by the aztecs long before the spaniards came. this is called the la luz district.
to-day guanajuato is a much smaller city than it was a half century ago because of the decrease in mining activity. the theatre juarez is a beautiful building and was built and is owned by the state, which seems strange to an american. the state or municipal ownership of theatres in spanish-american countries is quite common. the republic of guatemala takes more pride in its national theatre, the teatre colon (columbus), than in any other public building. a curious sight in this city of guanajuato is the panteon, or crypt, where bodies are buried for five years. if burial fees are not paid again at the end of that time, the bones are thrown in a heap. however, many of the bodies are found mummified and these are placed against the wall making a horrible, gruesome sight,—one that will not be soon forgotten[285] by the traveller. it is like the crypt underneath the capuchin church in rome.
the spanish conquerors mentioned nothing of silver among the aztecs, but all their ornaments were of gold. the value of the presents of gold ornaments given to cortez by montezuma is estimated by prescott at more than $7,000,000. the source of this great gold supply has never been discovered, for, although gold in small quantities is found in many places intermingled with silver, yet the amount mined was very small in comparison with the value of the silver. in more recent years owing to improved methods of separating the precious metals from the quartz, the proportion of gold produced has been increasing. from 1810 to 1884 mining reached a very low ebb because of the unstable form of government and constant revolutionary movements. the crude methods formerly in use became unprofitable, and foreign capitalists were afraid to invest money for fear that a change in the government might occur over night and wipe out everything. the old mines had been worked to such a depth that they were flooded and could not be kept in workable condition by the bucket brigade. the disturbed political conditions had developed large and bold bands of robbers; and as all traffic had to[286] be carried over lonely mountain trails, mining became very insecure and consequently unprofitable.
since the extension of the railway systems and the establishment of a stable government, mining is again attracting a great deal of attention. the government encourages foreign investments in the mines. many of the old bonanzas have been taken over by new companies with both good and bad results for the investors. the introduction of modern machinery has so reduced the cost of mining that lower grade ores can be profitably worked. even the dumps that have been accumulating for centuries are being worked over at a fair profit. smelters and mills for the cyanide process are springing up in all of the mining regions. modern pumps are taking the place of the mule and windlass in keeping the mines free from water. the fame of the old bonanzas has no doubt aided in fleecing the gullible through fake companies organized by unscrupulous and even criminal promoters. american miners and prospectors are met with all over mexico in the mining districts. it is safe to say that the majority of them have either met with disappointment or are living in hope of a “strike.” these conditions are[287] the same in every mining district the world over.
the mining laws are simple and practical. boards are established in every mining community who look after the mining interests. any one discovering a claim can “denounce” it before this board and he is protected. foreigners have the same rights as citizens in “denouncing” a claim. a mining claim is called a “pertenencia” and is one hundred metres square thus consisting of ten thousand square metres. the surface ground must be settled for with the owner. a tax of ten dollars must be paid annually to protect the claim from forfeiture. more than twelve thousand claims are now on record as shown by government statistics. the government only claims a one-twenty-fifth instead of the royal one-fifth exacted by spain.
the number of men employed in the mines at the present time is about two hundred thousand. wages are low and average about fifty cents for common labour and one dollar for native miners in mexican money. however, in recent years wages at the mines have had a tendency to rise. mexico’s annual production of silver amounts to from $30,000,000 to $35,000,000 in gold value and gives it first place.[288] as the price of silver is advancing, the production will no doubt be further stimulated. it now occupies fifth place in the production of gold, being exceeded only by the transvaal, australia, united states and russia. the production of mexico in 1906 reached a value of $15,000,000.
many other minerals are found in mexico. perhaps the most valuable, next after gold and silver, is copper of which there are a number of rich deposits. in 1906, one hundred and thirty-five million pounds of copper were mined. when this is compared with a production of nine hundred and fifteen million pounds in the united states for the same period it is not a bad showing for mexico. iron is not generally distributed but there is a mountain of nearly ninety per cent. pure iron ore at durango. tradition says that the indians first led the spaniards to durango by tales of a mountain of gold where the yellow metal sparkled on the surface. when they arrived at this mountain, now called cerro del mercado, they pointed to the outcroppings of pyrites which the ignorant natives thought—or pretended to think—were of the same metal that these strange white men had come across the unknown seas in search of. a little coal[289] has been found but not in quantities sufficient for local consumption, so that considerable coal and coke are imported each year from england and the united states. lead is found in large quantities, and most of the graphite used in the united states is imported from mexico. the greatest development in recent years has been in the production of petroleum. some of the most remarkable flowing wells in the world have been struck near tampico. great rivalry has resulted between the english and american interests, and the mexicans have profited by it. another profitable field has been found on the isthmus of tehuantepec. the total production for the year 1910 exceeded four million barrels. several of the railways have already adopted this fuel.
wonderful progress is being made in developing the mineral resources of this country, and it is possible that greater discoveries will yet be made. the wealth of mexico to-day is not being squandered after the manner of many of the bonanza kings; but it is being spent along legitimate lines, and is one of the greatest aids in building up a strong republic and developing a nation of intelligent and liberty-loving citizens.
