1864 the foreign and domestic commerce of Atacama, amount- ing to over $20,000,000, represented 20 per cent of the total for the entire country, whereas the population represented only 4 percent. The foreign import trade was distributed almost exclusively between Argentina, 63 per cent, and Britain, 23 per cent. The chief commodities sent by the former were cattle ($529,999) and mules ($49,000), from the latter, coal ($198,- 500). The foreign export trade was practically all with Britain (92 per cent), North America taking 6 per cent. Caldera was the center of this trade. With its dependent ports, that is, the points on the coast where copper was shipped, it accounted for four times as great a volume of trade as Huasco and its minor ports, in both cases the trade through the inland “ ports”’ of the cordillera being included. Although the population was low in proportion to the area, it showed a remarkable increase over earlier figures. Towards the end of the eighteenth century the population of the partidos (of the bishopric of Santiago) of Copiapé and Huasco had been estimated at 8000, ‘The census of 1865 credits the Province of Atacama with a total of 77,453, the highest attained (see Table If). In that year Copiapé town numbered 13,381, also a maximum,
Tasie III—PoruLation oF THE Province OF ATACAMA ACCORDING TO Successive CENSUSES
DEPARTMENTS 1865 1875 1885 1895 1907 1920
! ce es = Chafaral........... 4425 | 4,961 | 5,558 | 4,321 | 6,057 | 5,149 MEAT dha aps hah ie 44,670 | 35,807 | 29,705 | 26,310 | 27,315 | 20,689 IAP PRTUDA oa pwd so'a ts tos 14,012 | 15,541 | 13.434 | 12,868 | 12,722 6,480 PE FNCUM a's sia aninieis & 51 13.446 | 13,569 | 15,446 | 16,214 | 17,874 | 16,005 PROVINCE. ........ 77.453 | 69,878 | 64,143 | 59,713 | 63,968 | 48,413
Among the principal results of the mining activities were the creation of a new economic movement and of a new means towards movement. As the foregoing has shown, transporta-
_ tion was one of the most serious problems in the development of the mines. The mines of the Copiapé region had to provide their own means of conveyance. In this roadless, well-nigh waterless, country their choice was limited to the hardy en-
