Bartolomé de Medina (mining specialist) facts for kids
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Bartolomé de Medina was a Spanish merchant born around 1504 in Seville. He is famous for inventing the "patio process." This was a new way to get silver out of its ore. His invention changed silver mining in the Americas.
Contents
Bartolomé de Medina's Life
Learning About Silver
Bartolomé de Medina learned a lot about getting metals from rocks in Europe. He studied how to melt litharge, which is a lead oxide. He also met a German man, known as "Maestro Lorenzo" or "Leonard." Lorenzo taught him a special trick. This trick used mercury and a strong salty water, called "brine," to get silver out of its ore.
Moving to a New World
When he was about 50 years old, Medina moved to New Spain. This area is now Mexico. He left his wife, Leonor de Morales, and their five children behind in Spain.
First, Medina settled in Mexico City. For a year, he worked on silver processing at Hernando de Ribadeneyra's home. After that, he moved to Pachuca.
Inventing the Patio Process
In Pachuca, Medina built his own special place called Hacienda de Beneficio Nuestra Senora de la Purisima Concepcion. This hacienda had flat, paved areas called patios. He could spread crushed silver ore on these patios. His hacienda was on Magdalena Mountain. This location gave him access to running water. He also had access to lower quality ore from the Old Discovery Mine.
It took several months for Medina to perfect his method. He found that the brine and mercury trick Lorenzo showed him needed something extra. The ores in Mexico needed iron or copper sulfate added. In Spain, these ingredients were naturally found in the rocks. This added ingredient was called magistral. It helped the chemical reaction happen, making the silver separate from the ore.
Spreading the Innovation
This new method for getting silver from ore became known as the "patio process." It was also called silver ore amalgamation. The Viceroy of New Spain, Luís de Velasco, was impressed. He gave Medina a six-year patent for his invention. This patent covered the main ingredients: magistral, salt, and mercury.
Later, on July 10, 1556, Viceroy Velasco gave a joint patent to Medina and Gaspar Lohmann. Lohmann had created a machine called an ingenio to help the process. This machine, and another one described by Miguel Perez, were inspired by Georgius Agricola's book, De Re Metallica.
Later Life
Medina returned to Spain for a time. In 1565, he came back to Pachuca. This time, his wife and their four remaining children joined him.
See also
In Spanish: Bartolomé de Medina (minero) para niños
