SPANISH ENGINEERS AND SCIENTISTS SERVING THE AZOGUE DE ALMADEN MINES IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY

Abstract

The arrival of the Enlightenment in Spain at the beginning of the eighteenth century by French and Italian influences and by the reformist impulse with the arrival of the Bourbons allowed to raise the scientific, cultural and economic level of the country. Mining was no stranger to this movement and a good example of this was the creation of the Casa-Academia de Minas in Almadén (Ciudad Real) and the arrival at its mines of scientists and engineers both foreign and Spanish, which made it possible to modernize mining operations by increasing production of mercury to meet the demand of Colonial America. This article aims to disseminate the contribution of Spanish military scientists and engineers who during the second half of the 18th century dedicated their efforts to improve mining techniques in Almadén, of enormous transcendence for the Spanish economy and the development of Colonial America Keywords: Colonial America, quicksilver or mercury, scientist, history of technology, illustration, military engineer, mines of Almadén, mining technique.