Talk:Potosí

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[edit] Silver Mining in Spanish Empire

The statement that Zacatecas was the "other big silver mine" would appear to be misleading. Spain had many large silver camps all over Mexico, Pachuca (in Hidalgo) being one of the largest. I recall reading, also, that Zacatecas may have little claim as one of the top silver producing districts (at least in historical terms) though it did recieve heavy investment from overseas (especially British). Also, Zacatecas was relativelly far to the north of Spain's empire.

Also, after the initially rich surface deposits (consisting especially of chlorargyrite) were worked out, Potosi apparently did not have ore rich enough to compare favourably with that in many Mexican locations, but cheap indian labor (the mita) made it economically feasible.