Valley High School

FROM MACUSPANA
Faithful to duty!

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE

MINING, AGRICULTURE AND
CATTLE RANCHING IN THE NEW
SPAIN

Luis Alberto Gil Bocanegra

Subject: History

3 "A"
Secondary Section

Macuspana, Tabasco October 4, 2018

 MINING IN NEW SPAIN

Starting in 1548, rich silver mines were discovered in New Spain in various
points of the territory, the metal produced great wealth and was the main source of
income for the monarchy of Spain. The first mines exploited by the
Spaniards were those from Tehuantepec, Zumpango, and Taxco (Guerrero), Sultepec.
(State of Mexico) and Tlapujahua (Michoacán).
The mining boom of New Spain began with the discovery of the mines of
Zacatecas in 1546. From that moment on, the activity spread to various
roads like Guanajuato, Pachuca, San Luis Potosí. Important ones were founded.
cities near the richest mines.

In Pachuca around 1555, Bartolomé de Medina invented a system for

separate silver from other minerals, using mercury, salt, and iron or copper pyrite.
This system was known as "patio benefit" or "amalgamation system"
and reduced the time and cost of silver production and lasted until 1792.
In the colonial period, mineral production showed ups and downs: from 1555 to 1630,
period of boom due to the discovery and exploitation of new mines, from 1630-
1740, period of decreased production due to labor shortages,
technical limitations, flooding in the mines, lack of roads and insecurity in
they and the scarcity of mercury, monopolized by the Spanish Crown.
Mining was of great importance to the Crown, as its main
income came from the taxes that miners had to pay for the
exploitation of the mines, these taxes were: the Royal Fifth, the miner had to
pay one fifth of what is extracted, starting in 1548 it was reduced to one tenth
or the tithe; the right of coinage, implemented in 1536 when it was established
the Mint for the coinage of silver and copper coins and the right of
tableware; tax charged for the production of tableware and jewelry made of silver and gold.

Working in the mines represented a great exploitation, the accidents were

frequent and diseases appeared after a few years of labor.
To maintain mining activity, its owners bought slaves, obtained
captive Indians either through the repartimiento system or they had to pay wages
highs. Silver extraction produced the largest fortunes of New Spain,
successful miners were owners of estates and palaces, they bought titles of
nobility and displayed their wealth with ostentation. Those who failed would do
any job, or wandered in search of a new opportunity. Some,
who had become wealthy lost everything when the vein or mining deposit was
was exhausted and could not pay their debts.

The mining how activity

main economic, generated a
new context in the viceroyalty. The
gold and silver became established as
export products, served as
link between Spain and its colony,
in addition to uniting the global economy
with the emerging viceroyalty. The
the rise of gold as a mining material
the main cause was that Antonio María
of Bucareli and Ursúa, viceroy of New
Spain, an edict was decreed in 1772
for which the currency was established
gold as the official currency of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, a measure that had
the approval of the King of Spain and the Count of Aranda, Prime Minister.6 Trade,
Agriculture and livestock were consolidated and strengthened by the measure.
taken by Bucareli, as well as other areas such as manufacturing and crafts.
In addition, gold long prevented the devaluation of currency by providing a
stable exchange medium. Another activity benefited by mining was exploration
from the north of the country, abandoned since the Chichimeca downfall, but the discovery
from mines brought missionaries, farmers, and ranchers to settle in the vast
northern prairies, transforming those inhospitable, barren, and desolate areas into
production areas, such as Monterrey, capital of the New Kingdom of León. Thus, the
Mining was consolidating its position as the most lucrative economic activity.
in the viceroyalty, but it fell in the mid-19th century, with the rise of industry, falling
mines due to wars, and the devaluation of the gold currency in 1882.
Guanajuato Mining

Guanajuato has a mining tradition that dates back to the viceroyalty era. However,
the wealth of the subsoil has not always been extracted optimally. Currently,
Mining in the region is in a recovery phase and has
consolidated as the first national producer of gold, and fourth of silver, as
result of the adoption of modern technology in the extraction and processing of
the metals, and the increasing participation of private investment. Likewise, the
the entity has become an important producer of non-metallic minerals,
among those that stand out are fluorite, which is already being exported, silica, and feldspar. As of today
there are 51 mining companies in the entity that employ 3,500 workers, whose
productive force represents only 15% of the gross domestic product in the state,
what reflects the low level of activity. Guanajuato represents a future
flattering in this branch of the economy, as it can be exploited on a large scale
opal, granite, limestone, sulfur, copper, lead, and even diamonds. The mines are
they are found in the municipalities of San Luis de la Paz, Comonfort, Atarjea, Acámbaro,
Pénjamo, Guanajuato, San Diego de la Unión, Dolores Hidalgo and Huanímaro.
Mining of Zacatecas
The main industry of Zacatecas is mining, primarily silver extraction.
gold, mercury, iron, zinc, lead, bismuth, antimony, salt, copper, quartz, kaolin
onyx, quarry, cadmium and wollastonite. The mineral wealth of the state was
discovered shortly after the conquest, and some of the mines (and the most
famous from Mexico) date back to 1546. The most productive are the silver mines of
Alvarado. More than 800 million dollars were extracted from this mine.
1548 and 1867, according to the records that have been preserved. Nowadays, Mexico is the
the world's number one silver producer. Zacatecas has thirteen mining districts.
the most important are: those of Zacatecas, Concepción del Oro, Sombrerete,
Chalchihuites, Mazapil, and Noria de Ángeles. There are 86 economic units in the
mining activity. Manufacturing is a growing sector of the economy,
the food and beverage industry is the largest.

Mining of Pachuca and Real del Monte

The discovery of the mines was made by Alonso until the year 1552.
Rodríguez de Salgado, Mayor of a minor cattle ranch. From this
At that moment, the aspect of the population began to change notably, as
dozens of workers began to arrive to be employed in various tasks
Mining development in Pachuca began in 1552, when
Bartolomé de Medina invented the amalgamation process for the benefit of the
minerals, was developed in the estate of Purísima Grande. This process
allowed for the economical exploitation of silver minerals; it was necessary
mix the powdered mineral with water, salt, mercury, and other compounds. It
they spread the "cakes" in very large courtyards, where they had to be incorporated
reactives; "Give the reviews", that is, mix with the help of animals and ensure that
the reactions will be carried out properly so that the silver forms
amalgamates with mercury. After several weeks, the cake was washed to
remove the undesirable materials and the mentioned amalgam was passed to a furnace
especially where the mercury was volatilized very carefully and produced silver
in a fluffy form, and finally melted to obtain the bars of the white metal.
This process was also known as patio benefit.
In the 18th century, the vision of Pedro Romero de Terreros brought the mineral back to life.
Real del Monte, upon discovering new and rich veins that gave Pachuca a boom
extraordinary. From this moment on, the appearance of the population transforms
notably, as dozens of workers began to arrive to be employed in
the various mining laboratories, thus the list of appraisals indicates that by 1560,
that is, 8 years after the discovery, the
the population amounted to 2,200 inhabitants, which
it meant an increase of almost 300% compared to
to that of 1550.
In 1766, he intended to abolish the party, a form of payment that
it had become a custom among the miners. The party
it consisted of the last bag of ore that was brought up
the worker of the shift divided it between himself and the owner
from the mine. The miners protested about this, which
included the presentation of a petition and the
work stoppage and, having no favorable solution, we
unleashed the violence. The mob attacked and killed the Mayor
Mayor of Pachuca. The intervention of the
viceroyalty authorities to resolve the conflict.
It is during this time of the mining boom that they went out
large quantities of gold and silver for Spain and it is said
in the books of the time that the metal ingots
precious ones did not bear the seal of Real del Monte and
Pachuca, they didn't want to receive the money because that seal was
guarantee of the purity of the metal extracted in this city.

Agriculture
During the colonial era, agriculture was in precarious situations and
delay, this due to the neglect that was given to this very important activity.
The main factor that prevented agriculture from advancing was that the distribution
the lands will be found in very few hands. Causing fertile soil not
It will result in poor progress in agriculture.
Agriculture during the colonial period was only able to produce food.
for the inhabitants of the colony, however, in times of drought, hunger
It plagued the population, with the indigenous people always suffering the most.

The main enemies of New Spanish agriculture were the landowners.

(owners of large tracts of land) and the church.
The landowners, for their part, only sought their interests, exploiting the land in
search for well-being and since they owned many hectares it was not difficult for them
sufficiently exploit them all, leaving cultivable land unused, affecting the
progress.
Another enemy of New Hispanic agriculture is the church (owner of the majority)
from the arable lands) obtained through payments for loans that he made to
the inhabitants who, in times of need, had to pawn their lands,
obtaining the church very high interests and rents.
The lands owned by the church were completely unused, losing the
opportunity to cultivate in them and affecting New Hispanic agriculture.
In New Spain, agriculture was the foundation of the economy, due to the production of
food for the population and for livestock, and as raw material for others
economic activities such as mining. It generated significant income for
Spain, due to the large number of products that were exported to Europe such as:
cocoa, tomato, avocado, woods, vanilla, cochineal dye, etc.
The land and temperate climate of New Spain favored the introduction of
new crops such as rice, oats, barley, sorghum, sugar cane, wheat, coffee,
plum, peach, linen, hemp, indigo, etc.

The wheat
It was the crop most supported by the authorities, as it is the foundation of the diet.
Spanish, to which significant regions and indigenous labor were allocated.
By the second half of the 16th century, four major areas were formed.
trigueras: 1) los valles de Atlixco y Puebla; 2) el valle de México y Toluca; 3) El Valle
from Oaxaca and 4) some regions of Jalisco, Michoacán, Guanajuato, and Zacatecas.
The Spaniards introduced a new organization in work and new techniques,
like the yoke, the plow, and other farming tools.
The sugar cane
It was a crop of great demand, produced in: Cuernavaca, Atlixco, Puebla.
Orizaba, Jalapa, Córdoba, and Michoacán, of lesser importance in Oaxaca and
Chiapas. The indigenous people were brutally exploited in these plantations, by
what in 1631 the crown prohibited the use of indigenous labor, replacing it with slaves
Blacks brought from Africa.
Other important agricultural products were cotton, cocoa, vanilla, and the
indigo, all of them of indigenous origin. Cotton was important because it constituted the
raw material of the textile industry. During the 16th century, the olive and the vine, the worm
of silk, the mulberry (plant to feed the worm), linen, and hemp had
good acclimatization but when its production represented competition for the
producers in Spain were prohibited from exploiting it.
Indigenous agriculture did not undergo significant changes, the indigenous people continued.
using rudimentary farming tools and the cultivation system of
milpa and chinampa. The cultivated products were the same as centuries ago: corn,
bean, chili, tomato, zucchini, cotton, cacao, and maguey, among others and the production
it continued to be fundamentally for self-consumption.
Livestock farming

Cattle ranching is an activity that has developed since pre-Hispanic times.

Although there is very little information about how it was done, it is known,
According to some writings, in the years before the Conquest, bees were raised and
cochineal from prickly pear, as well as different types of birds, including turkeys.
While the itzcuintli dog, which they also domesticated, had an edible use.
Since the early years of the conquest, various things were introduced to New Spain.
species of livestock in reduced quantities due to the difficulties of
transport, but the good climatic and topographical conditions allowed the
development of livestock. The livestock reported wide benefits: the manure
as natural fertilizer for crops and a load and transport force of the
agricultural production, in the mining towns it was used as a driving force, for loading
and basic power supply.
The main problem of livestock farming was the need for large areas of land.
land for grazing, which caused the destruction of indigenous crops and the
appropriation of large expanses of land, many of them from the communities
indigenous people, forming large estates.
When the Spanish arrived in America,
they brought the horse and, subsequently, when
they began to settle, they introduced the
pigs; then the cattle and, finally, the
sheep and goats. At that time they occupied
large lots on which they built
haciendas; in they, the Indigenous people
they developed different activities among the
that the livestock was found.

In the colonial era, everything related to

the breeding of animals and its benefits was
controlled by the Spanish Crown, which to its
once granted the power to regulate and protect
the livestock activity to the Brotherhood of the
Mesta, an organization of the former
pastors.

The development of livestock began with the multiplication of pigs, which in

place to feed in the grasslands, they did it with the corn that the indigenous people
they were tribute to the Spaniards.

From this moment on, the expansion of livestock farming began.

 After the Conquest, the
formal meat market. In that
moment, in accordance with the legislation
from New Spain, the figure arose
of 'obliged' (similar to the butcher
that we now know), who was supposed to
sell at the agreed prices and
obey certain rules, such as taking care
the hygiene of the meat, not to sell it
three days after he died
animal, etcetera.

Cattle ranching was practiced on estates and in grasslands with great success.

Between 1550 and 1680, livestock farming multiplied effectively; furthermore, during this
time, mining activity experienced significant growth, which requested the
resources of livestock to carry out its functions. In other words, mining
He took advantage of livestock like horses and mules for carrying.
from the mineral; and its derivatives, for the manufacture of products that served as
instruments or tools, for example, with leather boots were made for water,
pulley blocks and jars for draining the mines.
Subsequently, there was a period characterized by the establishment of
meat markets at a greater distance, less mining influence and less
presence of the Brotherhood of the Mesta.
During the following centuries, livestock farming was, as it is today, a very
valued for the benefits obtained from it, for example, in products
food, in clothing, in utensils, as well as for the realization of others
activities supported by animals such as the horse or the mule.
The livestock of horses was the first to appear as cavalry, to
nobles and chiefs, their rapid multiplication reduced their price and many were able to
to have horses. In 1524, the first heads of cattle were introduced
pork (pigs), raised and marketed almost exclusively by indigenous people,
the use of shelter fabrics and European customs led to the sheep farming
sheep farming will occupy a prominent place in the novohispanic economy favoring the
appearance of wool workshops and clothing production. The goat livestock (goats) was
much in demand in the Spanish diet, it adapted easily to the land
arid lands of the north. Cattle (cows) spread rapidly, which meant
a drastic decrease in meat prices in the cities of Mexico and
Puebla.
The introduction of pack animals, donkeys, and mules replaced the labor of loading
the tamemes, gradually and slowly mainly in the mining areas.
The rapid increase of livestock caused differences among the Spaniards, for
to resolve them, the Mesta was established, a guild of owners of estates and livestock
(similar to the Spanish), the 'brothers of the mesta', as the cattle ranchers were called
belonging to this organization, had the obligation to attend the meetings or
advice, and return the stolen cattle.