Mercury mines at Almadén (part 1 of 3)

In early July of this year (2014), I had the pleasure of passing through a town in central western Spain called Almadén.  It´s home to a very famous mercury mine, a mine that reputedly has supplied humanity with one third of all the mercury ever used by mankind.

It was in existence for over 2,000 years, closing down very recently, in 2001.

But first, a few words about Almadén.  It´s a charming town, small enough so that not only is there no airport but the train doesn´t even stop there.  Instead, it stops at a station between Almadén and another town, called Alamadenejos.

Looking out from the train station.

 
Obviously, since the mercury mine was in operation for over 2,000 years, someone has lived in the area for over 2,000 years.  There´s not much left of earlier peoples (although a nearby city, Merida, has impressive Roman ruins as well as evidence of the Visigoths and others) but it does have a tiny, former Moorish outpost as well as a nice medieval Spanish church and things of that sort.

Former Moorish outpost.  There´s a stork´s nest on the top.

The mines, themselves, first came into their own during the Roman period.  Before that, mining was done mostly on the surface but the Romans started digging shafts into the stone.


Mercury has been used for centuries to separate silver from the ore in which it is found, allowing the silver to be purified, but the Romans didn´t know that use and didn´t use it for that purpose.  Instead, they used it as a coloring agent.  The red color of many of the frescoes in places like Pompeii is in fact ground-up mercury.

Cart with unrefined mercury ore.

The next main civilization to rule the area after the Romans were the Moors, and they DID know about the ability of mercury to purify silver.  They enlarged the mines and make extensive use of them.  After the Spanish reconquest of the area, the ability of mercury to combine with gold was discovered and mercury-based gold amalgams became common as well for guilding the domes of the major cathedrals in Europe.

In the old days, mining was all done by hand, with picks and hammers.  Miners were lowered into the chambers by hanging onto the same leather pouches that were used to bring the ore up from the bottom.  It was extremely dangerous work.

Leather pouches like these lowered miners into the shafts and also brought up the ore.

It was dangerous for many reasons including the long-term effects of breathing mercury vapor.  These include a slow killing off of the lungs, insanity, and a nerve disorder which leads to uncontrollable muscle spasms (similar to "St. Vitus´ dance) and ends in coma followed by death.  Neither the lung contamination nor the nerve disorder lead to a pleasant death.

In modern times, enough was known to allow the mining company to take preventative measures against these disorders.  Serious problems became rare and were immediately treated.

NEXT EPISODE will appear on Sept. 13.

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We are working on a documentary (Flamenco:  la tierra está viva (Flamenco:  the Land Is Still Fertile) in which we plan to film a scene down in these mines.   Keep up with our progress by going to this LINK.

Mexico's indigenous civilizations - the Aztecs (part 1 of 3)

Mexico had a long and rich history before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores.   There were the Aztecs, the Maya, the Mixtecs, the Olmecs, the Toltecs...and probably many others, but those are the ones whose names I know.

The Aztecs are probably the most famous.  It´s when Hernán Cortés conquered them that the modern history of Mexico officially begins.

Aztec calendar

That event took place in 1621, a LONG time ago.  It happened within a year of the death of the last great emperor of the Aztecs, Montezuma (or Moctezuma) II. who Cortés captured and who died while a captive...either killed by Cortés or by his own people, depending on which version you read.

The Aztecs are famous for building great pyramids, and for engaging in human sacrifice.  The extent of this human sacrifice was greatest in the last 50 years of their rule by which time thousands of people a year were killed in this manner, many of them captives of war.  This is only one thing which made them very unpopular with their neighbors.  Another was their relentles conquering, followed by demanding immense quantities of tribute from those who they conquered.

Aztec deity spearing a woman.

This is why it was relatively easy for Cortés to turn around and conquer THEM.  He only had 150 soldiers at his disposal, but he had the aid of over 100,000 warriors from the Aztec´s neighbors.

Another thing that made the conquest relatively easy was a smallpox epidemic which inflicted the Aztecs right after Montezuma II was killed.  Smallpox had been introduced to the area just a few years earlier by the Spaniards.

NEXT EPISODE will appear on Sept. 6.

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In our documentary-in-progress, Strong Roots, Bright Flowers:  Arts of Mexican Immigrants and Chicanos, we interview an Aztec drummer and watch part of an Aztec ceremony to learn more about Aztec culture. Keep up to date on our progress by going HERE.