The Mexican Colonial Copper Industry by Elinore M. Barrett

Abstract

156 Book Reviews TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE The principal weakness is the treatment of the political and legal factors behind the movement for smoke abatement and also the tech­ nical problems of abatement, matters that complicated the picture for reformers throughout the movement. Brimblecombe’s treatment of these essential components of his story is skimpy and sometimes er­ roneous. Omitted from his bibliography are two relevant articles from Technology and Culture. The book therefore is not the final word on the subject, even for London, but it is nevertheless an interesting and welcome contribution to the history of atmospheric pollution. Carlos Flick Dr. Flick teaches in the Department of History at Mercer University. The Mexican Colonial Copper Industry. By Elinore M. Barrett. Albu­ querque: University of New Mexico Press, 1987. Pp. xi + 143; tables, notes, bibliography, index. $22.50. This is a useful and interesting little book, dealing with a topic that is outside the mainstream of industrial history. During the period considered, 1540—1809, Mexico has generally been recognized as a producer of silver, but the history of the development of its copper industry in the period following the Spanish conquest is not widely known. Elinore Barrett’s work is based mainly on a study of government documentation from archives in Mexico City and Seville, notably the records of the colonial treasury, which was heavily involved in the copper industry of the time. A strong emphasis is placed on devel­ opments in Michoacán, the region west of Mexico City that contained the most important sources of copper, with particular attention paid to the major mine in this region, at Inguarán. Prior to the Spanish conquest copper was being mined and smelted by the indigenous people, who used it for tools, ornaments, and cur­ rency pieces. After the conquest, the Spaniards were initially content to leave the mining and smelting (which was apparently carried out in small bowl furnaces using blowpipes for draft) in the hands of the Indians. However, the growing demand for copper to supply local cannon foundries and coinage, as well as the armaments industry in Spain, stimulated the Crown to become involved to an increasing extent. Initially it established a smelting works to which ore was de­ livered by the miners and later, in the early 17th century, it assumed ownership of the largest and most important mine, San Bartolomé de Inguarán. In 1613, the ownership of both mine and smelter was organized into a concession that was awarded to the highest bidder. From then until the sale of the mine to private interests, likely in the late 1780s, a series of concessionaires operated the mine and smelter with varying degrees of success in dealing with the technology, with TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE Book Reviews 157 labor problems, and with the terms imposed by the Crown on the concessionaire. These terms varied over the years but at various times included production quotas and the requirement that all copper be sold to the treasury at a fixed price. In 1780, as the shortage of copper became severe, a Crown monopoly was declared such that all copper producers were required to sell their copper to the treasury, again at a fixed price. All of these changes were attempts by the Crown to stimulate an increase in production without resorting to an increase in the price of copper; however, all failed to alleviate the supply crisis. At the same time the actions of the government stimulated such side effects as the development of a black market and a clandestine copper industry, the working of the mine in a destructive manner, and a decline in the quality of copper produced. Eventually, in 1799, the price of copper was increased sufficiently that the supply crisis disappeared and the Crown was able to abolish its monopoly on distribution. The major difficulty with this book arises from the fragmentary nature of the records on which it is based; as a consequence the history as presented is to some extent also fragmentary. The book’s organi­ zation contributes to this sense of incompleteness, as it tells the story, not in chronological order, but rather by considering successively sev­ eral aspects of the history...