**Exhibit31.1**

CERTIFICATIONPURSUANT TOSection 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

I, Oscar Gonzalez Rocha,President and Chief Executive Officer of Southern Copper Corporation, certifythat:

 

1.                      I havereviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Southern Copper Corporation;

 

2.                      Based on myknowledge, this annual report does not contain any untrue statement of amaterial fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statementsmade, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, notmisleading with respect to the period covered by this annual report;

 

3.                      Based on myknowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information includedin this annual report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition,results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, theperiods presented in this annual report;

 

4.                      Theregistrant’s other certifying officers and I are responsible for establishingand maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange ActRules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting(as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f)) and 15-d-15(f)for the registrantand have:

 

a.                Designed such disclosurecontrols and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures tobe designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relatingto the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to usby others within those entities, particularly during the period in which thisannual report is being prepared;

                                          

b.                Designed such internal controlover financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financialreporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assuranceregarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation offinancial statements for external purposes in accordance with generallyaccepted accounting principles;

                                          

c.                Evaluated the effectiveness ofthe registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in thisreport our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls andprocedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on suchevaluation; and

                                          

d.                Disclosed in this report anychange in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting thatoccurred during the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter that has materiallyaffected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’sinternal control over financial reporting; and

 

5.                      Theregistrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on ourmost recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting to theregistrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board ofdirectors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

 

a.                All significant deficiencies andmaterial weaknesses in the design or 

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operation ofinternal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely toadversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize andreport financial information; and

                                        

b.                any fraud, whether or notmaterial, that involves management or other employees who have a significantrole in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

 
|                          |   | /s/ Oscar  Gonzalez Rocha              |
|--------------------------|--------|----------------------------------------|
|                     |   | Oscar Gonzalez  Rocha                  |
|                     |   | President and  Chief Executive Officer |
| Date: February  26, 2007 |   |                                   |

 

 

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