Pictures of life in Mexico/Volume 1/Chapter 17
CHAPTER XVII.
A SILVER-MINE IN THE NORTH.
The scene is in the neighbourhood of an extensive silver-mine near Zacatecas, in the north of Mexico, and though it is at a somewhat advanced hour of the night, the miners—or at least a portion of them—are still at work. The effect of the moonlight, as it falls on the edges of the adjoining mountains, is very impressive,—-its brightness in this country being intense: a hard, lustrous outline encircles the moon; and the spots and streaks upon it which resemble lakes and mountains, actually pain the eyes from the luminous glare of light which surrounds them.
In many parts of this mountain district, veins of the precious metal may be distinguished even upon the surface, as they wind their course among the red-stone heights and through the broken valleys; and it is supposed that no small quantity of silver lies hidden below the narrow streets of the city: which, at no great distance, seems completely surrounded by metallic hills and barren rocks, studded with shafts and diggings, crushing rooms and grinding-mills, mule-sheds and melting-houses. Were it not for the number of habitations near me, and the sufficiency of signs of human life at hand, it would appear, upon the whole, rather a singular situation in which to spend the night. I passed a number of huts, on my way here before sunset, belonging to some poor Indian charcoal burners: near me, by the side of a projecting rock, is a curious spring of water constantly hot; and last, though not least, far down in the distance, on the outskirts of a little village on the other side of the mountains, is—strange to say— a goodly convent of fat friars! How it can have got there appears unaccountable at first sight; but wherever there is anything either rich, prosperous, or promising, to be found, the holy fathers are not far distant: it must be a very inaccessible portion of the earth, indeed, where their unctuous and exacting voices are not to be heard.
Singular stories are related by the inhabitants of mining neighbourhoods in Mexico, of the manner in which discoveries of gold and silver have been made. There is one pious legend, most likely of priestly origin, about a traveller who lost his way while on a mountain journey; and who, at the point of perishing in the agonies of thirst, knelt down and supplicated the assistance of the Virgin in his extremity. She appeared to him forthwith, and sweetly directed his attention to a spring which leaped from an adjacent rock, quite spontaneously and especially for the occasion. The traveller satisfied his craving, and with much gratitude and renewed vigour, addressed himself once more to his journey; but just as he was casting a last thankful look upon the beneficent spot, he thought he could perceive some projecting spars of bright white metal, exactly on the place where the burden of the water fell. He eagerly wrenched a portion of it from the rock, and discovered, to his great joy, that it was silver ore. Setting a mark upon the spot, he returned with proper assistance; and, having made known his acquisition to the government, and conveyed the necessary apparatus to the ground, he sunk a shaft, which produced large returns. He reared the ornamental cross and archway above the spring—I wonder it did not prove a convent with a splendid endowment—to record alike his gratitude and great success.
There are other stories current, which have more than a foundation in fact. Poor Indians, whose whole apparel and worldly possessions would not amount to the value of the smallest coin in the republic, have discovered rich veins of silver ore, while crossing the mountains on some nefarious expedition; and have made such beneficial treaties with the government administradores, that the Indians have become wealthy and considerable men for many months—indeed, until their prodigality and drunkenness have left them as poor as they were when their good fortune found them. Wretched charcoal-burners, also, while tracking the precarious and stunted vegetation which such districts afford, for the purpose of procuring stray pieces of timber for their fires, have found such specimens of another growth as have excited the envy, and frequently the destructive propensities of their comrades, so that their valuable secrets have perished with them. Occasionally, too, the profitable results of such discoveries have been reaped by the government, to the loss of rightful owners; who may not have been able to obey the laws for their regulation, purely because they were without capital to satisfy the demands imposed upon them.
Still it must be said, in justice, that the government of Mexico—inefficient as it is for many good and honest purposes—yet supplies the discoverers and proprietors of mines, in a general way, with judicious facilities and adequate protection. It is the duty of the finder, when he wishes to proceed with such a deposit of the precious metal as he thinks is likely to remunerate him for his labours, to make a report of his discovery, its situation, and his intentions, to the government representative who may reside nearest to the spot. Then he must measure and lay out a certain required amount of ground adjoining it, forwarding specimens, if requested to do so, to the authorities, and straightway employ a given number of labourers, who must begin to work the mine within a given number of days. It usually requires a large amount of capital to do all this, and extensive joint-stock companies are consequently often formed.
Sometimes the former owner of the ground will take a considerable share in the speculation—for he generally contrives to secure to himself the most profitable, or, at least, the most certain, part of the arrangements, and to dispose of the surrounding land for building purposes. It may happen, also, that the Government will, if able, advance a small portion of the funds; in consideration of receiving in return a very large share of the profits of the concern. If, however, the original discoverers are not able to fulfil the authorized conditions, any person whatever, who is acquainted with the circumstances, and able to do so, may take the affair into his own hands, and conduct it for his own advantage, without noticing the claims of the former parties in any way. When an individual is thus able to satisfy the demands of the government, the rights of search and of extension are allowed him; his claim to the mine is defended; he can carry on the operations for any length of time that they may continue remunerative; and the profits, without any further taxation or deductions, are acknowledged to be his own.
It is not my intention minutely to describe the processes connected with silver-mining, and the operations of extracting the ore and melting it into shining blocks and wedges: but it may be proper to describe what appeared to me among the principal features of the proceedings.
There are different kinds of silver-mines; in some of which the veins of metal take an angular, and in others a semi-circular direction. When the men and mules who work below have succeeded in procuring some tons of ore, it is drawn up in leathern boxes, and conveyed by attendants to the receiving-houses; from whence, if very pure, it is at once transferred to the smelting-furnaces. If, however, it contains, as it generally does, a great quantity of alloy, it is despatched to the crushing-room, where a powerful bruising machine, called molienda, is brought to bear upon it; and when it is sufficiently pulverized by this process, it is adjudged ready for transmission to the grinding-mill.
The grinding-mills consist of cisterns, from fifteen to thirty feet in diameter, dug in the earth, and lined with the hardest rock that can possibly be obtained. On the inside of these cisterns are suspended, by means of beams turning on a pivot, tiers of grinding stones, likewise of the very hardest quality. The pulverized ore is thrown into these receptacles, the beams are turned by mules, and an impalpable powder is the result. Water and a little salt are added during the operation; and the mass thus presents the appearance of a thick, paste-like substance. It is then time to separate the particles of silver from the rocky fragments to which they have adhered for ages.
To attain this desirable end, the mixture is spread thinly over some convenient open ground, and great quantities of mercury, together with salt, and some sulphates, muriates, and other chemical substances, are gradually added to it, forming an amalgam. It is allowed to remain in this state for several days, when it is worked about and pressed by horses; more water and chemical preparations are added to it; and when the different components are by these means sufficiently mingled, it is ready for the washing or purifying machine.
The last-mentioned contrivance is not very complicated. The amalgam is placed in stone vats, or tubs, into which a stream of water constantly flows; it is from time to time agitated with poles, that the water may have due power; and as the silver and mercury sink to the bottom, the water charged with the impure particles is turned off. The metal, thus separated from its native earth and rock, is then placed in the smelting-furnace, over which is a cover resembling a bell; here the mercury is sublimated; and the pure silver, together with any particles of gold adhering thereto, is left behind. The silver is generally cast in the form of massive pieces termed barras, often weighing fifty or sixty pounds individually, and worth from one thousand to fifteen hundred pesos, or dollars, each. These barras are considered to be a much safer kind of property than coin; for, being marked, they may be easily identified, and cannot quite so readily be carried away.
Notwithstanding the encouragement given to mining speculations by the Mexican government, the subjects of possession, discovery, and payment, afford never ending opportunities of quarrel between rival companies and operators. Lawyers are consequently in great request; and most companies have a legal adviser of their own. It frequently happens,—and this is an unusually happy termination to a dispute in Mexico—that the mere presence of one of those gentleman at a business transaction, is sufficient to put an end to an occasion of difficulty.
I must here exclaim against the base system of remuneration for service, which is followed towards the poor Indians who are willing to labour—not at the northern mines alone—but also at the farming establishments and haciendas throughout the country. There are several reasons combining to prevent the Indians from being active and energetic workmen. Some of them appear to consider it a degradation to labour in any way for their bread; others prefer a life of precarious plunder: and the rest are so abominably lazy, that any exertion, whether good or bad, seems to be beyond their power. Every proper inducement, therefore, should be held out for their encouragement and improvement; but, instead of this, they have abundant reason to complain of their employers: and the unhappy creatures being poor and hungry, are all the more easily imposed upon.When an Indian is engaged; certain wages are agreed on; it is true; but then his master takes care to supply him either with a stock of maize a little clothing; a small portion of land; or perhaps a small amount of money (which he soon expends in liquor) on account: thus a debt is created to his disadvantage from the commencement; from which; in the course of years of labour—in his unthrift and ignorance—he is unable to release himself. For his weekly remuneration is barely sufficient for the support of himself and family; and if it were more, it would only be an additional temptation to dissipation: thus the poor Indian; if not in name; is in reality; almost the property of his master; his first arrears always hanging like an offensive weapon over his head; and his services being always paid for beforehand. With no satisfaction in the past; no care for the present; and no hope of the future; therefore; the Indian never rises in the social scale: and perhaps his doing so would be unsatisfactory to the powers above him. While benevolent associations; religious missionaries; and enlightened governments; are striving for the amelioration of many classes of mankind; would that something could be effected towards the enlightenment of the thousands of ignorant and degraded Indians, who form the hulk of the population in Mexico!
It is too often the case, in many countries where the active spirit of true religion has no existence, that there is an effete and offensive display of its empty shadow and unmeaning letter. It is so in Mexico. In passing through the streets you will often receive the blessing of God, of Christ, and of the Virgin, from a villain who would, for the slightest consideration, imbrue his hands in your heart's blood; and, on calling to purchase some trifling article at a small-ware establishment, the owner, who would not scruple to rob you of the clothes you wear, if he could do it with impunity, will implore "the guardianship of all the blessed saints and angels upon your head," also. Thus the poor Indians at the mines, before they receive their miserable wages, stand in a line against the wall of the pay-room; and each exclaims, as he steps forward for his pittance, "Alabo a Dios,"Alabo a Dios,"—"I praise God,"—while in his heart he is thinking of the pulque-shop; and the pleasures of the gamingtable are dancing, in anticipation, before his eyes.
The overseers of the mines take the law into their own hands, for the punishment of delinquent Indians, and they use the lash without restraint. It is no unusual thing on passing a shed, or receiving-house, to hear the cries of offenders undergoing punishment; and they never venture—so abject has the spirit of these people become—to think of expostulation or resistance.
A melancholy and somewhat uncommon circumstance occurred a few days antecedent to my visit. While the valuable metal is undergoing the processes of separation and purification, the workmen in attendance are not allowed to remain for an instant unwatched by the overseer, so that no stray fragments of silver can be unlawfully secreted. When, however, the amalgamated mixture is placed within the smelting-furnace, and the fire is lighted, no such caution is deemed necessary; for the poisonous fumes from the heated mercury, that would escape were the bell-shaped cover of the furnace lifted are judged sufficiently formidable to prevent any such proceeding. Losses incurred by wrongful appropriation are, therefore, of very rare occurrence. But in the case to which I allude, the temptation to plunder had been too strong for the prudence of an unlucky Indian, whose duty it was to superintend the furnaces. In an unguarded moment, he had approached the vat with a long pole in his grasp, and raised the cover, believing the metal to be cool enough to admit of his abstracting a small portion for his own especial use. The vapour from the sublimating mercury must have suffocated him in a moment, for he fell back upon the earth below the furnace quite dead; and his body was found by his companions directly afterwards, still grasping the wooden instrument of his intended robbery, in its stiffened hand.