A history of mining in Latin America : from the colonial era to the present

Brown, Kendall W. 1949- (Author).

Summary: For twenty-five years, the author studied Potosí, Spanish America's greatest silver producer and perhaps the world's most famous mining district. The author read about the flood of silver that flowed from its Cerro Rico and learned of the toil of its miners. Potosí symbolized fabulous wealth and unbelievable suffering. New World bullion stimulated the formation of the first world economy but at the same time it had profound consequences for labor, as mine operators and refiners resorted to extreme forms of coercion to secure workers. In many cases, the environment also suffered devastating harm. All of this occurred in the name of wealth for individual entrepreneurs, companies, and the ruling states. Yet the question remains of how much economic development mining managed to produce in Latin America. The author explores the social and ecological consequences caused by mining. His focus on the legendary mines at Potosí and comparison of its operations to those of other mines in Latin America spans the time between the colonial era and the early twenty-first century.

Record details

ISBN: 9781283636520
ISBN: 1283636522
ISBN: 9786613948984
ISBN: 6613948985
ISBN: 0826351077
ISBN: 9780826351074
Physical Description: 1 online resource (xix, 257 pages) : illustrations, maps
remote
Publisher: Albuquerque : University of New Mexico Press, 2012

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:	Includes bibliographical references and index.
Formatted Contents Note:	The lure of gold, the wealth of silver -- Potosí and colonial Latin American mining -- Spanish and Portuguese colonialism and mining labor -- Workers' response to colonial mining -- New nations resurrect their mining industry -- The technological and social dimensions of modern mining -- Miners and revolution -- Mining, harmony, and the environment.
Restrictions on Access Note:	NLC staff and students only.
Language Note:	English.
Source of Description Note:	Print version record.