Evening star., 1915-03-31
PICTURESQUE MEXICO
III.-The Silver of GUIANA
iuat0.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

iii DY 1ICQCIlC y. x4hchlA iii
No region in all the world since time
began has produced an amount of sill
yer that can compare with that which
has come out of Guanajuato. No city
In all America can today boast the
possessions of many mummies. In
addition to which. 1t throws down the
gauntlet to any rival on the western
hemisphere which aspires to an atmos-
phere. a color scheme. which will
transport the beholder to the Holy
Land. and cause him to believe that he
is gazing upon the scenes OF biblical
history.
All of these circumstances and others
lend to this mid-Mexican city fasci-
nation that is equaled by few Ameri-
can rivals. This treasure vault of the
ages is situated in the very center OF
all Mexico Two-thirds of the way
from Ell Paso to Mexico City. 1t is.
pitched into a steep canyon at an ele-
walton of 1000 feet. Fantastically II
scrambles up the precipitous sides or
n canyon, attempting to find aoiding
places for its 10000 souls upon these
treeless but cactus-studded slopes.
lively artistic. the builders of the
town have followed and accentuated
the natural tints of the building stone
hereabout, and every house works into
scheme of most delicate t1ntinss OF
pale blue, cream and pink. So unusual
Is this effect, and SO readily may 1t be
seen because of'the precipitous topog-
yaphy, that all beholders are instantly
impressed.
Rut this city OF color serves no other
he ri
house of a clus-
Greatest Silver ter of silver
- mines such as
Output in World. man has never
found at any other spot on earth.
From these mines are said to have
been taken, during the years that have
fntcrvened since the first Spanish ad
venturers learned of their fabulous
" ealth, u billion and half dollars.
No other silver producing region has
approached this sum. and there is
question if any city has produced any
sort of mineral wealth to this amount.
The Spanish doubloons and pieces of
eight that figured as the inspiration in
stories of piracy when buccaneering
was in its prime were largely made OF
silver from Guanajuato- When the
court of Spain was at the point of its
highest development, much OF the
wealth that maintained 1t came from
three great mines located here and
worked for the profit OF the crown
These mines kept Spanish. govern
mental Golfers filled for centuries and
are still producing.
IL is because the Guanajuato silver
mines have been producing for so long
that they have chalked up to their ac-
count a sum of money that is so vast.
il was in 154S that the Spaniards found
out that the Aztecs were taking silver
from the slopes of these lofty canyons.
For 367 years the production has gone
steadily forward, has continued through
war and peace just as 1t Is continuing
unabated during the present series of
revolutions. To haul the silver that
has come out of the mines of Guanajua-
TO IL would require a train OF freight
ears ten miles long.
The stories that are told about GUIANA
,uato of the many fortunes that have been
mad e and the
Wealth Rivals profligate manner
Yarns of Fiction. money has been
iavished rival the most fantastic yarns
Of fiction. A hundred years ago. for in
etance two miles in the La LUZ district
were yielding 100000 ounces Of silver
every year. A poor prospector named
Zambrano developed a claim, and frantic
ally attempted to spend money as fast
as it came in. frequenting the capitals OF
Europe in the process, yet died with $780,
oo0, goo One of these men sent the king
s2.0o0.000 as a Christmas present. and
hsked permission to build gallery OF
solid silver around his Guanajuato house.
which request was denied him. The mine
owners at one time had to be prohibited
- ar1fr atl lNyar
coin in the streets Of the city. as they
were pauperizing too large percentage of
the community
There is today Mexican who owns
one of these mines, across the entrance
of which he has built great steel doors.
He does not operate it regularly. but
merely opens 1t up when he is in need
Of money. and sends In workmen to re-
Indian, and once a peon. is today one of
the wealthiest men in the world, and
through silver mine he discovered in
this district. He has built fifty churches
and hundred schools. At one time he
dIstributed s2,000,000 among the poor.
r.. some years ago. attracted good
deal of attention by volunteering to pay
the national debt of Mexico. When the
figures were presented. however, he found
ths,t even lie was unequal to them.
These foods of silver have mostly
come despite crude and unscientific
methods. The silver is found largely
ods Of getting this stone out of the
ledses. before the introduction of mod
ern machinery. was unique. When the
Spariards came they found that the
Indians would build a fire against a
wall Of this quartz. would get It very
hot and would then throw cold water
on IL The brittle quartz would break
into pieces. will a piece of glass
under the same circumstances Great
quantities OF ore were for centuries
taken out In this way
The patio method of extracting the
silver from this ore was another in
teresting process en-
fatlo method ployed at Guanajuato
NJ Ex+rao<;o, and is still to be
seen. though chiefly
replaced by the Introduction of the
cyanide process. Under this method
the ore was reduced to a powder be-
tween great rollers. Water was ad-
mixed with II. and the whole con-
veyed. in the form of thick mud,
Into patio. where II made lake two
feet deep. Mules were driven about
II this mud. Quicksilver and blue
vir~iol were added TO the mud and fbe