# Mexico in 1827/Volume 2/Chapter 13

SECTION III.
JOURNEY FROM CATORCE TO SOMBRERETE. MINES OF THAT DISTRICT.
On quitting the Cañada of Catorce (Dec. 4), we began to pass what we all termed the Desert, or, in other words, a plain, extending, without any other variety than the occasional undulations of the surface, from the mountains of Cătōrcĕ to those of Zăcătēcăs, a distance of about seventy leagues. The whole of this space is covered with a sort of mimosa, with very long thorns; another smaller shrub, the name of which I do not know, but which resembles the box in the shape and colour of its leaf; mezquites, and dwarf palms, bearing a fruit not unlike the real date in appearance, and by no means unpalatable. Water there is none, except in vast "tanques," or reservoirs, kept up at a considerable expence, as it is upon them that the proprietors rely for the preservation of the enormous flocks of sheep and goats which are bred upon their estates. ​Not a field of maize or a trace of cultivation is to be seen; and the country, like the Steppes of the Crimea, seems only intended to be inhabited by a nomade race.
Having been furnished with a route, in which the Rancho of San Francisco was put down as our first night's lodging, and the distance stated to be only ten leagues from Catorce, we left the Cañada late, and proceeded until four in the afternoon, when we discovered, to our great dismay, the ruins of two Indian huts, to which the name of San Francisco may formerly have been given, but which we found to contain neither water nor maize, nor any symptoms of having been inhabited for many years. We were accordingly compelled to push on to El Bŏzăl, another Rancho about six leagues farther on, where we did not arrive until eight o'clock, having lost a good deal of time at San Francisco in an attempt to lasso some of our loose mules for the carriage; an operation which, in the open plain, was, as usual, attended with considerable difficulty. At the Bŏzăl we found four families residing in as many wretched hovels, the best of which was given up by the inhabitants to Mrs. Ward and the children, while Mr. Martin and I put up our beds in a hut, that usually served as a kitchen, and which, in order to give free egress to the smoke, was open both at the roof and sides. Dr. Wilson, Mr. Carrington, and Don Rafael, slept in the open air, within the fence of dwarf palms that surrounded Mrs. Ward's habitation. ​Under ordinary circumstances, such a bivouac would have been no more than what we were all prepared to expect, but I had unfortunately been attacked at Catorce by a violent rheumatism in the left shoulder, which gave me excruciating pain towards morning, when a Norther came sweeping over the plain, shaking to its very foundation the frail tenement in which we had taken up our quarters, and carrying away the cloaks and mangas by which we attempted to protect ourselves from its violence. I seldom recollect having suffered more acutely than I did during this storm; and at daybreak, when we began to flatter ourselves with the hope of reaching more comfortable quarters, we found that our chance of being able to proceed at all was exceedingly precarious. As no maize could be procured for the horses and mules on our arrival, they were turned out to make the most of the Zăcātĕ, or long grass with which the plains about the Bŏzăl abounded; and the servants, instead of placing one of the party to watch their motions during the night, abandoned them entirely to their fate, conceiving that they would not wander far from the houses, and the great "tanque" in their vicinity, at which alone water was to be procured. The consequence was, as might have been foreseen, that in the morning not a single animal was to be found; and although a few of the most quietly disposed were discovered at no great distance, and secured, yet even with their assistance it took the servants the whole of the early ​part of the day to hunt down a portion of the remainder, whose tracks they followed across the endless plain until they were themselves quite bewildered amongst the rows of dwarf palms, and could only return to the Bŏzăl by retracing their steps. With the assistance of some Rancheros from the Hacienda of Sierra Hermosa, to which the Bŏzăl belongs, the search was renewed, and towards evening all our stud was brought in, with the exception of eight of the carriage-mules, which, being bred in Durango, appeared to have taken a northerly direction by themselves. As there was nothing to stop them between the Bŏzăl and the United States, pursuit seemed useless, and we gave them up for lost, after begging the Rancheros, should any stragglers be discovered amongst their own herds, to send them after us to Siērră Hĕrmōsă, where we resolved to stop one day for the chance of their coming up. The wind continued with undiminished violence during the twenty-four hours that we passed at the Bŏzăl; it did not, however, cause us much inconvenience, as we all took refuge during the day in Mrs. Ward's apartment, which was not only nearly air-tight, but curiously adorned with household furniture, some cocks and hens, and a fine collection of religious plates.
Provisions would have been scarce, however, had not the flocks of the Conde del Jărāl, upon whose estates we again were, come down most opportunely to water at the "tanque." With much difficulty ​we prevailed upon the shepherds to let us have a sheep, which was very expeditiously disposed of by the hungry servants. The men would not take money for their charge, but required a written receipt, which we gave them, and they then left us to settle our account with the "Administrador" of Siērră Hĕrmōsă, who, as usual, refused to receive any thing. Don Rafael, and El Niño, (by which name young Carrington was always designated amongst the Mexicans,) added a number of ducks, which they shot upon the reservoir, to our mutton broth; and as we had brought some bread with us from Catorce, we fared sumptuously, although disappointed in our hopes of getting any of the deer which the servants had seen in herds of fifty and sixty while in pursuit of the horses. I was prevented from attempting to lift a gun myself, not being able to raise my arm.
Dec. 6.—Finding it impossible to reach the Hacienda in one day, we proceeded to another Rancho, called Săn Ignācĭŏ, about nine leagues from the Bŏzăl. I was forced to perform this day's journey in the coach, being absolutely unable to mount my ​horse; nor do I know how long I might have been deprived of the use of my arm, had I not discovered an admirable remedy for rheumatism in the Maguey brandy given to us at the Jărāl. I moistened some flannel with this spirit, and had the arm rubbed until excoriation was produced, which had the effect of entirely relieving the pain, and of even removing all stiffness in the course of a few days. We found at Săn Ignācĭŏ one good "adobe," (hut,) which was given up to us with great good-humour by the inmates. It only contained a single room; but of this, by the help of the canvass curtain, we made two, which were exactly large enough to contain five mattresses. The rest of the party slept al fresco, and most bitterly did they complain of their lot, for a colder night was, I believe, seldom felt. Two of our carriage-mules were brought in at San Ignacio, by a Văqūerŏ, but of the other six we could obtain no tidings; indeed, they were never heard of more. In order to prevent such serious losses in future, all the animals were confined in a corral, where they were supplied with maize, and bundles of dried grass, which we all worked hard to collect. In the morning, notwithstanding our precautions, Mr. Martin's horse, with Dr. Wilson's, and one of mine, dashed off on to the plain, with their saddles, bridles, and other accoutrements. They were closely pursued by some of the Rancheros with their lassos, but these men not being well mounted could not overtake them, and the whole group were soon out of sight. ​After waiting three hours for their return, we were forced to leave them to their fate, and to commence our journey towards Siērră Hĕrmōsă, from which we were still distant sixteen leagues. Mrs. Ward and I left San Ignacio about eleven o'clock, after breakfasting upon some eggs and maize cakes, and overtook the Carriage, which had preceded us, about sunset, when within sight of the Hacienda, having kept our horses at a rapid passo all the way. Nothing could be more monotonous than the road, upon which we only passed one Rancho, (the estacion of San José,) and one great reservoir of water, (the tanque de la Mancha,) without a habitation near it, but which was nevertheless put down as a night's lodging for us by our Catorce friends. The country reminded us not a little of Scriptural times, when a man was immortalized who sank a well, and distances were calculated by the time requisite in order to reach the different watering-places. We saw abundance of hares and rabbits, and from time to time, a flock of goats, or a long line of sheep, forming so white a streak at a distance, that they might almost have been mistaken for water. A few horses and mules, and, now and then, some cows, afforded a little occasional variety. All these had Vaqueros in attendance, some of whom passed us in full chase, with their lassos whirling above their heads, and their horses galloping over ground so poached by the tulsas and rabbits, that a person unaccustomed to the service would think it impossible to cross it in ​safety, even with the greatest precautions. In the rear of the flocks, the Coyotes, or Mexican jackall, might be discovered prowling in considerable numbers; and at a little distance from San Ignacio we met a band of Rancheros, returning in high glee from the tanque of Juan Perez, where, they informed us, they had been lassoing some wolves which had committed great devastations, and driven the cattle from the water. Every thing, in short, was characteristic of a state of things in which civilization had made but little progress: the natives possessed both the honesty and the hospitality of a primitive race; for our horses were brought back to us on the evening of our arrival at Sierra Hermosa, with even the holster-pistols untouched, notwithstanding the eagerness with which European fire-arms are always eyed in America; and at the Hacienda we met with a most friendly reception from the Administrador and his family, who insisted upon giving up to us all the best apartments in the house.
The estate of Siērră Hĕrmōsă consists of two hundred and sixty-two Sitios: the lands extend from Cătōrcĕ, (to the East,) and Măzăpĭl, (to the North,) to a little beyond the Hacienda in the direction of Zăcătēcăs, (about forty-five leagues.) The stock consists principally of "ganado menor," sheep, and some goats. Of the first, the Conde himself has 200,000, which produce annually from 25 to 30,000 yearlings for the Mexican market. The goats are sent to the Căsă dĕ Mătānză (slaughter-house) of the Jărāl. ​Those killed at the Siērră are upon the account of the Administrador, for all the principal "dependientes" upon the Count's estates receive a very small salary, in lieu of which they are allowed to keep a certain quantity of live stock upon the land. Many of the Rancheros, who have only four or five dollars a month in money, possess as many as a thousand goats, with an "atajo" of eighty or a hundred horses. The Administrador during our stay was killing one hundred goats every day; and he informed me that his mătānză, (or killing season,) usually lasted a month. The hides and tallow are disposed of for his exclusive benefit, and the profits are sufficiently large to afford him a very comfortable maintenance.
A supply of maize, for the consumption of the estate, is grown about the Hacienda, and there is likewise a great annual shearhig, which produces between four and five thousand arrobas of wool.
We passed the whole of the 8th of December at Siērră Hĕrmōsă, in the vain hope of hearing something of our lost mules, and proceeded on the 9th to the Hacienda del Mēzquītĕ, which derives its name from the thorny shrub that forms the only apology for vegetation upon the road. The distance is seventeen leagues, but with the exception of Cāñăs, an estacion de Gănādŏ Măyōr, (literally a station for cattle,) with a large Noria, and some trees, which, with a plot of fresh-looking grass in the immediate vicinity of the water, form an agreeable ​break in the dreariness of the surrounding country, we did not meet with a living creature upon the way. Nothing can convey more thoroughly the feeling of desolation than the solitude of so extensive a district, and we were all rejoiced when, after nine hours' travelling, we at last discovered the Hacienda, which is not visible until you are within a league of the house, as it is situated in a hollow, a little below the general level of the plain.
The Mēzquītĕ is one of the fourteen Haciendas of which the Conde de Pĕrĕz Gālvĕz is proprietor. Some of these are situated in the Baxio, (about Silao;) another, (Gŭanămē,) lies near El Vĕnādŏ; and in the neighbourhood of the Mēzquītĕ there are three, (Las Nōrĭăs, Bĕrgēl, and La Sălādă,) all bordering upon one another, and placed under the orders of the same superintendent (administrador,) who resides at El Mēzquītĕ, where the căsă de mătānză is also established.
The four Haciendas contain 200 Sitios, upon which there are about 150,000 goats and sheep. The mătānză of 1826 consisted of 29,000 fat goats, bred upon the lands of Bĕrgēl and Las Nōrĭăs, and killed at the rate of two hundred every twenty-four hours: the tallow (cebo) made from their fat was sent to Mexico; the skins to Guadalajara, where they sold upon an average for six reals each.
The house at El Mēzquītĕ is large, and well furnished, having occasionally been visited by the proprietors. A tienda (or-shop) is attached to it. ​The water of the Noria is abundant; but there is not a tree near the Hacienda, nor any thing like vegetation, with the exception of some maize-fields, upon which a few fanegas of Indian corn are grown. Upon the whole, I can hardly conceive a more melancholy residence, for the air is filled at night with the dismal howlings of the Cŏyōtēs, who are attracted by the offal from the casa de matanza, and who absolutely swarm in all the thickets around, although from two to three hundred are destroyed every year in the battues, for which the Rancheros assemble periodically, in order to keep down the breed.
Dec. 10.—From the Mezquite it was our intention to proceed to Rancho Grande, where we were to enter the great Northern road, between Frĕsnīllŏ and Sŏmbrĕrētĕ, but the administrador recommended us so strongly to pass the night at the Hacienda of Lă Sălādă, which he described as well worth visiting, and but little out of the road, that we were induced to change our plans, and to turn the heads of our horses in that direction.
The first view of the Hacienda is exceedingly curious, as it is situated upon the borders of a lake of tĕqŭesqūitĕ, or carbonate of Soda, which, from its brilliant whiteness, is visible at a great distance. This extensive deposit of mineral salt forms one of the most valuable possessions of the Pĕrĕz Gālvĕz family in the North; for tĕqŭesqūitĕ being a necessary ingredient in smelting, it is bought up in ​very large quantities by the miners of Dŭrāngŏ, Sŏmbrĕrētĕ, Zăcătēcăs, and Guănăjūātŏ, to whom it is sold at four reals the fanega, or one dollar the mule load, upon the spot. In a good year the lake yields 30,000 cargas, or 360,000 arrobas, (of 25 lbs. each,) and the produce is then worth between forty and fifty thousand dollars; as the price paid for the carga by soap-makers, and other manufacturers, from San Luis and Guadalajara, is always double the mining price, and, when the demand is great, rises to three, and even four dollars. But the quantity of tĕqŭesqūitĕ collected varies with the year, and depends almost entirely upon the rainy season. If too little rain falls, the "costre," or saline incrustation, which is the most valuable part of the crop, does not form, and nothing but "polvillos," (dust,) of a very inferior quality, is collected. If, on the other hand, the rains continue too long, the earth has not time to dry before the middle of April, which is the season for collecting the tĕqŭesqūitĕ, and the whole is lost. In 1826, the stock upon hand was very small, and the prospects for the ensuing year discouraging; it not having rained when we passed, on the 11th of December, since the 25th of the preceding July. In a favourable season, the "costre" varies from one to four fingers in thickness, and is of sufficient solidity to allow the workmen to walk upon it without giving way. The depth of water beneath is very inconsiderable. The stock of tequesquite is laid up for sale in large conical hillocks, ​carefully covered with earth. The formation of these hillocks at the proper season is the only expence with which the disposal of the crop is attended, for the purchasers come with their mules to the Hacienda, and load them by the water-side. The produce of the lake might undoubtedly be increased, and rendered more regular at the same time, by irrigation, which would not be attended with any difficulty, even in the driest seasons, as there is a supply of fresh water close at hand, which might easily be directed into the hollow where the carbonate of Soda is produced. But the Count, who is of the old school, maintains that this would be to force Providence, and under this impression he will not allow nature to be even assisted in her operations.
The Hacienda of La Salada contains only two Sitios in land; the house is newly built and very pretty. There is a spring of beautifully clear water behind it, with some trees, the first, almost, that we had seen since leaving the Jărāl.
Dec. 11.—We commenced our journey early, and stopped to breakfast at Rancho Grande, a large village situated upon the banks of a stream, which rises in the mountains of Frĕsnīllŏ, and runs N.N.E. towards Parras, and from thence to the Gulf.
At the Rancho we procured excellent bread, (the first that we had tasted for three days,) and milk in abundance. From thence to Ătŏtŏnīlcŏ, a Hacienda belonging to the Dominican Friars, the distance is eleven leagues, the last five of which, through ​Bărrāncă Hōndă to the mĕsōn, are exceedingly steep and rugged. In one of the worst parts of the road we were reconnoitred by six men on horseback, the only suspicious characters that we fell in with upon our whole journey, who, after observing us for some time from the top of a hill that overlooked the road, moved off at a very rapid pace on our advancing towards them in our turn. They probably thought the party too formidable to be attacked, for we were both more numerous and better armed than themselves.
Our accommodations at Ătŏtŏnīlcŏ were of the very worst kind, the house being half in ruins, and the dirtiness of the rooms quite indescribable. For our supper I had fortunately provided by shooting three or four hares, and ten quails of a remarkably large kind, upon the way. They are a very delicate bird, and are found in great abundance on the road from the Mezquite to Sŏmbrĕrētĕ, and from thence again to Guădălajāră. As they run for a considerable distance after each flight, and are easily lost amongst the bushes, I found that the best mode of shooting them was to make a servant follow the covey on horseback after I had fired, and keep his eye upon them until I could reload and ride up to him again. In this way I could, at any time, procure as many as we wanted, for they fly straight, and are a very easy shot. Between Ătŏtŏnīlcŏ and Lă Sălādă we saw proofs both of the abundance of cŏyōtēs, and of the facility with which they may ​be secured with the lasso. Thirteen of these animals were hunted down on a plain by the road-side, by a few Rancheros assembled for the purpose, and very speedily suspended to two trees. To fix the lasso but little dexterity is required, as the cŏyōtē is pursued by the horsemen until he is nearly exhausted, when the noose is dropped over his head, by one of the party, while another alights and despatches him with the măchētĕ. Where the ground is open, he has hardly a chance of escape; but in the neighbourhood of a Bărrāncă, the struggle for life is maintained with great energy, and even when the fatal noose has been affixed, I have seen the lasso itself divided by the teeth of the animal, before the cord could be stretched in such a manner as to terminate his resistance. While the chace lasts, the horses display astonishing agility both in their rapid turns, and in the dexterity with which they avoid the nopals, and Mezquite trees, amongst which the cŏyōtē usually seeks protection; but I should much doubt whether, if the animal were to stretch directly across the plain, they would be able to overtake him, unless in the morning, when gorged with food; which is indeed the hour usually selected for the purpose. In the evening I have often attempted to ride them down myself, but never succeeded, except in one instance, in approaching sufficiently near to try a shot with a pistol. This may, however, have been owing a little to my dislike of the tŭlsāles, which often prevented me from keeping my horse at full speed. ​Dec.12.—From Ătŏtŏnīlcŏ to Sŏmbrĕrētĕ, thirteen or fourteen leagues.
There is little worthy of remark upon the road. We breakfasted at el Ărēnāl, a Rancho; upon leaving which we had an immediate view of the mountain of el Sŏmbrĕrētīllo (seven leagues distant), at the foot of which the town of Sŏmbrĕrētĕ stands. The name is derived from an excrescence upon the summit of the mountain, not unlike a hat in appearance, and visible at a great distance.
About four leagues from the town we were met by Don Nărcīsŏ Ānītŭá, the proprietor of the mines worked by the United Mexican Company in the district of Sŏmbrĕrētĕ, and conducted by him to his own house; where we remained during our whole stay, which was prolonged till the 17th of December, in order to allow time for a full examination of the mines.
These are situated upon the two great veins of La Veta Negra and El Păvĕllōn, the existence of which forms a very remarkable feature in the district of Sombrerete; as, though perfectly distinct, they run parallel with each other in the same direction (S.E. and N.W.) at a distance of only 190 varas at the surface, which diminishes in the lower workings, (from the inclination of the lodes towards each other,) until, at the depth of about 780 varas, it is supposed that the two may blend into one.
Upon each of these veins there is a series of shafts, which were originally separate mines. Those upon ​the Veta Negra were afterwards connected with each other, in the lower levels, by what is termed the "Cañon General," a gallery which traverses the whole of the workings and conveys the water to the western extremity of the vein (the Tiro de San Pedro), where the horse-whims for the drainage are to be erected.
From the shaft of San Pedro to that of Săn Lūcăs, the works upon the Veta Negra comprise a space of 800 varas; the whole of which, when I saw the mines, had been cleared, drained, and retimbered to the depth of 280 varas, since the 3d of December 1825. Works of great extent had been likewise executed in order to give the mines a proper ventilation, (the abundance of arsenical pyrites in the lower levels rendering great precautions necessary,) and a communication had been established throughout the whole by means of the cañon general.
On the vein of El Păvĕllōn, the great shafts of La Cruz and San José, (the first of which is three hundred and ten varas in depth,) had been, in like manner, repaired, and six malacates erected at each for the prosecution of the drainage.
In order to form a just conception of the character of the enterprise in which the Company is engaged, some knowledge of the previous history of the mines is requisite.
Both the Vĕtă Nēgră and the Păvĕllōn were known during the early part of the seventeenth century. Of the first little is known; but the Păvĕllōn in 1670, was worked by a company ​composed of three individuals, Don Frăncīscŏ Cŏstīllă, Don Matias Carrasquilla, and Don José de la Peña Duran, and produced, in the year 1675, a bonanza, which is said, by a contemporary author, to have yielded, for five years, 20,000 dollars a-day.
This statement is probably exaggerated, but the amount of silver raised must have been very considerable, as the church of San Juan Bautista, at Sombrerete, is known to have been built out of the profits of one barra, (that is, one share out of twenty-four,) set apart for the purpose by Costilla, one of the three proprietors, in the year 1679.
In 1681 a Real Caja, or Royal Treasury, was established in the district, by the registers of which it appears, that in the next ten years, although the riches of the Pavellon are said to have decreased materially during that time, the sums paid as the King's fifth, upon the whole produce of the district, were 1,406,468 marcs, and six ounces of silver, or about twelve millions of dollars.
The causes which led to the abandonment of the mines from which these enormous riches proceeded, are not now known; it is supposed, however, that lawsuits first induced the owners to suspend their operations, and that the accumulation of water, which took place during the interval, rendered it impossible to resume them in those early ages, when the powers of machinery were so little known. Be this ​as it may, the Pavellon was given up in 1696 or 1698, and the Veta Negra appears to have shared the same fate about the same time.
For nearly one hundred years Sombrerete was almost deserted; but in 1780 the mines were again taken up by the Făgŏāgă family, which was destined to derive from them, a few years later, such unexampled wealth. The story is curious, and ought to be known.
It appears that Don José Mariano Făgŏāgă, one of the brothers, who was at that time engaged in some mining speculations at Fresnillo, visited Sombrerete, accompanied by his secretary Tarve, who was induced, by the information which he acquired there respecting the Veta Negra, to persuade his master to risk 16,000 dollars upon an attempt to work this vein, of which he (Tarve) undertook the direction, with a promise of one-fourth of the profits as his recompense, in case of success.
Without any pretensions to science, Tarve possessed activity enough to make an excellent director, while the under-ground management was entrusted to Don Manuel Unzain, reputed to be one of the best miners of the day. Fortune smiled upon their exertions. The mines became productive almost immediately, and a bŏnānză ensued, of which Tarve's fourth amounted, in 1786, to 360,000 dollars. The whole bonanza therefore, taking the "partido" at the most moderate estimate, (one-eighth,) must have been 1,620,000 dollars. ​In 1787, Tarve, having acquired a sufficient capital, and an intimate knowledge of the mining capabilities of the district, resolved to commence operations upon his own account, and to attack the vein of the Pavellon. With this view he set out for Mexico, in order to close his accounts with the Company, and to give up the management of the Veta Negra, which he had conducted with so much success. He was taken ill upon the road, and died at Zacatecas, but not before he had bequeathed his confidential mining "dependiente," Don Juan Martin de Ĭzmĕndī, as a precious legacy to his old patrons, and with him a knowledge of his projects with regard to the Pavellon.
In these Izmendi was supported by Don José Mariano Făgŏāgă; but the family being reduced by various misfortunes, and the mines of Veta Negra failing almost entirely at the same time, it was with the utmost difficulty that he obtained the means of carrying his plans into execution; and he only effected it at last, by disregarding the positive and repeated orders which he received to give up the work.
Tarve's favourite scheme was to drive a level from the Veta Negra in such a direction as to strike the vein of the Pavellon (which runs through much higher ground), a little below the spot where the bonanza of the preceding century had ceased, conceiving it probable that, in a vein which had produced such extraordinary riches above, the ​deterioration that had taken place afterwards, would only be temporary, and that the ores would resume their original quality below.
This work Izmendi executed, by driving the Crucero (cross cut) of San Rafael, which led to the second great bonanza of the Pavellon, and rendered the Marquis of Apartado and his brothers the wealthiest individuals of their day in Mexico, or perhaps in the world. It is a curious fact, and one that serves to illustrate the vicissitudes inseparable from mining adventures, that had this crucero been executed with the same precision as the rest of Izmendi's works; that is, had it preserved its original level, and struck the vein of the Pavellon one single yard lower than it did, it would have cut the vein in "borrasca," that is, in a part where it presented no indications of rich ores; in which case, the enterprise would have been instantly abandoned, Izmendi, and his patron Don José Mariano Fagoaga, denounced as rash and imprudent adventurers, and the district itself forsaken, as one from which nothing more was to be hoped. As it happened, the level of San Rafael, by rising one vara higher than it ought to have done, according to the measurements, struck almost the lowest stone of a "clavo," or natural deposit of rich ores, which, although it did not extend above sixty varas in depth, or thirty-five in length upon the course of the vein, produced a bonanza of eleven millions and a half of dollars, adding one-eighth as partido to the value of the ​8771 bars of silver registered at the Royal Provincial treasury. The ores were raised in about eight months, (at different intervals,) but their reduction lasted from the year 1792 until 1811, during the whole of which period the Fagoagas enjoyed an exemption from duties, granted them before the extent of their good fortune in the mine of the Pavellon was suspected, in consideration of their former losses.
Much time elapsed in the first instance before any advantage could be derived from Izmendi's successful labours; for, from the moment that the communication between the two veins was opened by the crucero of San Răfăēl, the water which had accumulated during a whole century in the old workings of the Păvĕllōn, rushed down into the Vĕtă Nēgră, where it became necessary to draw it off in order to render the new discoveries accessible. The shaft of Lă Crūz was afterwards sunk directly upon the cross cut, between the two veins, and through this a great part of the bonanza was raised. Another shaft, called San José, was subsequently added, and a Hacienda built in the centre of the town, with a magnificence well worthy of the ores for the reduction of which it was intended. The Patio, or court of amalgamation, is surrounded by eighty-four arches, under each of which an arrastre, or crushing mill, is placed; and in addition to these, there are fourteen large furnaces for smelting, with store-rooms for ores, stampers, and apartments without number for workmen, guards, and superintendents, all enclosed ​by a lofty wall. The whole is now going to decay, but it is still a splendid monument of the former opulence of the mines, and as such cannot be visited without interest.
The vein of the Pavellon has always been more remarkable for the richness, than the abundance of its ores: during the great bonanza, thirty-five marcs of silver were often yielded by one quintal of ore, and twelve or fifteen marcs per carga was the ordinary produce of metals classed as "Comunes." Mr. Anitua him self has, more recently, reduced ores from a little branch of the vein, in the shaft of El Carmen, which contained forty-five marcs to the carga. One hundred cargas yielded twenty-one bars of silver, or 21,000 dollars; but the vein was small, and soon lost itself in the mountain.
The Făgŏāgăs having entirely abandoned their mines, they remained un worked from 1812 to 1819, when an association of native miners was formed to denounce them anew, at the head of which was Don Narcisco Ānītŭá, the present proprietor. The necessary funds were raised, and the drainage nearly effected, when the declaration of Independence in 1821 threw the country into an unsettled state. The labourers all quitted the mines to join Ĭtŭrbīdĕ 's armies; and Anitua, whose whole fortune was embarked in the enterprise, saw himself compelled to abandon it at the very moment when his labours seemed drawing towards their close. For three years all his operations were suspended; but at the ​expiration of that time, having concluded a contract with the United Company, and ceded to them, as "Aviadores," or Habilitators, one half of the negotiation, he obtained the necessary funds for carrying on the undertaking, and on the 3d of December, 1825, the drainage recommenced. A difference of opinion prevailed, for some time, between the proprietor and the Company, with regard to the best mode of effecting this; Mr. Alaman being desirous to confine his operations to the vein of the Pavellon, while Mr. Anitua maintained the impossibility of ever entirely clearing that vein of water without attacking the Veta Negra at the same time.
From the difference in point of elevation between the two veins, the waters of the Păvĕllōn flow, at first, into the Veta Negra, but, as the extreme depth of the levels of the Păvĕllōn is much greater than that of the lowest workings upon the Veta Negra, the waters, upon rising in the last to the level of the Crŭcĕrŏ of San Răfăēl, flow back again into the Păvĕllōn; and although they might be restrained for a time by building a wall across the Crucero, (as was formerly attempted,) still the danger with which such an accumulation of water would be accompanied, in the event of the present attempt to explore the vein of the Pavellon to a still greater depth proving successful, induced the Company to resolve upon comprehending the Veta Negra in their enterprise, as the only means of ensuring the safety of those engaged in it. ​In the time of the Făgŏāgăs, thirty malacates (horse-whims) were employed upon the two veins, but under Mr. Anitua's superintendence a much smaller number had proved sufficient; twelve malacates having been erected at the shafts of La Cruz and José, upon the vein of the Pavellon (six at each shaft), and twelve more at the shafts of Guădălūpĕ and San Antōnĭŏ upon the Vĕtă Nēgră; by which, as already stated, the mines in one year have been entirely cleared of water.
The object of the Company is to examine the Cerro (or hill) which the vein of the Pavellon traverses, at a point immediately below those from which the two great bonanzas of 1675 and 1792 were raised, in the hope of finding a third "clavo rico," or "bunch" of rich ores, which it seems to be the character of the vein to produce after an interval of barrenness. For this purpose the shaft of La Cruz is to be carried down a hundred varas below its present depth, and cross cuts driven from it, at intervals, in such a direction as to explore the whole course of the vein in the parts where it has hitherto been unworked. The expence incurred is fully warranted by the importance of the object, and by the certainty that if any portion of the vein be found productive, such is the richness of the ores, that a very small quantity will be sufficient to repay the whole outlay; while should a third great mineral deposit be discovered, instances of which have not unfrequently occurred in other mines, (as Rāyăs, La ​Qŭĕbrădīllă, and Bărrāncŏ, mentioned in the preceding sections,) the profits of the Adventurers would be enormous.
In order to complete their trial of the capabilities of Sŏmbrĕrētĕ as a mining district, the Company has commenced a new shaft, called La Concordia, "denounced" by the brother of Don Narcisco Anitua, upon a part of the vein never before explored. This shaft is situated to the North-west of all the old workings, a little beyond an arroyo, or ravine, in which the crest of the vein is distinctly visible, and from its size appears to announce a lode of no common dimensions.
In December 1826, the workings were 112 varas in depth. At 120 varas, a first level was to be driven in the direction of the vein, which it will cut at the distance of thirty-seven varas, if the inclination be the same below, as in the shaft of La Cruz. The necessary buildings at Concordia were all complete, and excellent of their kind; and should fortune favour the enterprise, not a moment would be lost in turning the produce to account. It is regarded by professional men as one of the most interesting experiments that has yet been tried in Mexico, and, whatever be the result, it deserves to be repaid with success.
A similar attempt to explore an untried portion of the Veta Negra has been made, by sinking the new shaft of San Lucas, in which the vein had been cut a short time before my visit to Sŏmbrĕrētĕ; the ​first six cargas of ore raised, which I saw smelted, produced fifty-nine and a half marcs; and, in the opinion of Mr. Keating, a very able mineralogist from the United States, who had examined the mine a few weeks before, appearances were such as to warrant the most sanguine expectations with regard to the result.
I have not heard whether these expectations have been since realized, but I can bear evidence to the zeal, and ability, with which their attainment was sought. It is difficult to possess a more perfect acquaintance than Mr. Anitua with all the local peculiarities of his ground, or to imagine a better system than that which he has introduced into every part of his establishment. The drainage, which has been effected entirely by Mexican machinery, was conducted with unprecedented activity, and concluded in half the time allotted for it in the opinion of the other miners of the district. The malacates used are smaller and lighter than those of Guănăjūātŏ; the drum of the largest being only six varas in diameter, and the "palanca," or cross beam, to which the horses are attached, eighteen varas in length. But the difference in point of size is compensated by the rapidity with which they are worked, the horses being kept constantly at a very rapid trot, and changed every two hours. Should the vein of El Păvĕllōn assume a favourable appearance in the new workings, now that the mines are cleared, a general system of drainage will be established for ​the whole negotiation, by concentrating the water from both veins at the shaft of San Pedro, which will be sunk for the purpose to the depth of 500 varas. This will be sufficient to carry the deepest part of the shaft below the lowest levels of the Pavellon, while, from the vicinity of the two lodes, and the manner in which the water already passes from one to the other in the deeper workings, a cross-cut, (or Sangria,) will be all that is necessary in order to ensure a regular communication. The whole drainage will, in this case, not require more than eight mălăcātĕs, for which, should the present experiment lead to more permanent works, a steam-winding, or pumping-engine, may be substituted.
The outlay of the Company at Sŏmbrĕrētĕ, in 1826, amounted to nearly 500,000 dollars. With this, the whole of the mines mentioned in the preceding pages had been cleared of water, and retimbered where necessary; three new shafts sunk, (La Concordia, San Luis, and El Carmen, which last was intended merely for the extraction of rubbish from the old workings of the Pavellon;) two Haciendas de Beneficio put into complete repair; and so large a stock laid in of maize, wood, horses, and every other necessary, that it was thought that during the whole ensuing year but few additions would be required. In every department, Mr. Anitua's exertions appeared to have been indefatigable; and as, from his long experience in mines, he looked into every thing himself, and understood every thing ​into which he looked, there was no inattention or negligence amongst the subordinate agents, but all the parts were made to work well together. Upon the whole, I did not see in Mexico a better-regulated enterprise; and there are very few the management of which is so entirely free from defects.
In the two Haciendas of the Company, La Purisima and La Soledad, amalgamation is but little employed. The ores are usually smelted, and in this process great use is made of the tĕqŭesqūitĕ, (carbonate of soda,) from La Sălādă, which is employed as a dissolvent. The lead ore (or Grētă) used, is brought from Măpĭmī, or Cuēncămē, (on the frontiers of Dŭrāngŏ and Chĭhūāhuă;) the charcoal from the Mēzquītāl, or the Mēzquītĕ woods belonging to the Hacienda of Mŭlērŏs, on the road to Durango. The charcoal costs one dollar for the carga of ten arrobas, or 250 lbs.; the lead varies from eight to twelve dollars per carga, about one arroba, or 25lbs. of which is lost in the reduction of a carga of ore.
Mr. Anitua, who manages the whole smelting department himself, and is thought to understand the process better than any man in the district, informed me that the average expences may be estimated at fifty-six dollars to the monton of twenty quintals; they consequently exceed considerably the charge for reducing a similar quantity of ore by amalgamation; but it is a favourite theory in all the smelting districts, that the ores yield a greater proportion of ​silver in the "horno," (furnace,) than in the patio, (amalgamation court,) and the difference, in Mr. Anitua's opinion, is more than sufficient to cover the additional expence. The question has never yet been fairly brought to an issue, as, in the different districts, the choice of the process was usually determined, in the first instance, by the greater or less facility with which the ingredients required in each could be procured. Very rich ores are, however, always smelted; and as those of the Păvĕllōn are remarkable for the quantity of silver which they contain, this circumstance is perhaps sufficient to account for the general preference now given in Sŏmbrĕrētĕ to reduction by fire, although in the neighbouring districts of Zăcătēcăs and Guănăjūātŏ, it is very little in use.
* ↑ The "Nino," or the "Niña," are terms of endearment applied by old servants to the youngest member of a family; and Carrington being very young, and very much liked, was soon honoured with the appellation. Latterly they never called him any thing else, except on great occasions, when he was elevated to the dignity of el Secretario chico, (the little Secretary,) in order to distinguish him from the other gentlemen attached to the Mission, of superior standing to himself.
* ↑ Vide the Cronica of Zacatecas, 1736.