Valenciana Mine facts for kids
The Valenciana Mine, or Mina de La Valenciana in Spanish, is a famous silver mine in Guanajuato, Mexico. It's about 6 kilometers from the historic center of Guanajuato City. This mine, along with the old city and other nearby mines, is a special UNESCO World Heritage Site. Mining for silver started here in the 1500s. The mine produced so much silver that it made up two-thirds of all the silver found in New Spain (which was a big part of North America back then). Today, the mine is still active, going down 760 meters deep. It is managed by the Santa Fe Cooperative Society of Metallurgical Mines.
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History of the Valenciana Mine
Even though the main silver vein in Guanajuato was found in 1548, the Valenciana Mine produced the most silver between 1768 and 1804. In fact, it produced 60% of the world's silver in the 1700s!
In 1760, a young man named Antonio de Obregón y Alcocer got a loan to invest in the mine. He and his partner, Pedro Luciano Otero, kept investing. By 1768, the mine's silver production grew a lot. For many years, the La Valenciana Mine produced more silver than all the mines in the Viceroyalty of Peru combined. On March 20, 1780, King Charles III of Spain gave Antonio de Obregón special titles: Viscount de la Mina and Count of La Valenciana.
In 1788, Antonio's son, Antonio Alonso de Obregón, took over. The mine's ownership was split into 24 parts. The Obregón family kept ten parts, the Otero family had twelve, and another family had two. On August 8, 1803, a famous explorer named Alexander von Humboldt visited the mine. He wrote that the mine had made its owners "four hundred to six hundred million pesos" each year! During its best years, over three thousand workers were employed here. By 1803, the mine was 185 meters deep. Mining stopped in 1810, but by 1815, it had reached a depth of 514 meters.
In 1810, the Mexican War of Independence began. Many miners from Valenciana joined the fight. They helped capture the Grain Exchange at Granaditas. Later, they formed a special group called the Valencia regiment. In 1817, a leader named Xavier Mina tried to take Guanajuato. When he couldn't, he ordered the mine's machinery to be burned.
From 1848 to 1865, Francisca Pérez de Gálvez managed the mine. By the end of this time, the company didn't have enough money, and some mines were flooded. In 1865, her nephew, Miguel Rul, took over. He sold some of his farms to get money for the mines. In 1872, he started the "Restorative Company of Valenciana." He also invested in other mines in Guanajuato.
By 1878, La Valenciana was again producing the most silver in Guanajuato. In 1887, it produced 15,000 tons! However, the amount of silver found started to drop. By 1889, only 2,400 tons were extracted. In the 1890s, the mine faced big problems. Not only was less silver found, but the price of silver also dropped by 40%. When Miguel Rul died in 1897, his wife and brother-in-law managed the mine. In 1900, the mine's production was cut in half. In 1904, they sold the company to an American company.
During the Mexican Revolution, most mining stopped. After 1922, American money helped restart the mines. But then came the Crisis of 1929, which caused mining production to drop again. In 1936, miners at La Valenciana went on strike for over a year. Because of these problems, the mine eventually went to the workers themselves. They formed a group called the Cooperativa Minera Metalúrgica Santa Fe de Guanajuato.
San Cayetano Temple of the Confessor
In the town that grew around the mine, a beautiful church was built. It is called the church dedicated to San Cayetano. Antonio de Obregón y Alcocer, one of the mine's owners, ordered it built to thank for his good fortune. Construction began in 1775 and finished in 1788. The church was built from pink stone and has a very fancy style called churrigueresque.
The La Valenciana Mine Museum
The mine spreads out underground, beneath the area northeast of Guanajuato City. The main entrance to the mine is called the "Bocamina." It's located right behind the San Cayetano church in the town of Valenciana. Local guides can take visitors around the old mining buildings. You can even go down into the mine using a long, steep staircase! The Mexican government has also created a modern, interactive museum at the site for visitors to learn more.
See also
In Spanish: Mina de la Valenciana para niños
