ABSTRACT

That silver mining was an important part of the economy of Mexico during the whole colonial period needs no stressing. The quest for mines and the subsequent exploitation of ores were responsible for the early exploration of many areas, for much of the growth of internal trade, and for agricultural development in many regions. A most revealing manuscript held by the British Library (BL) gives a reminder of these lesser centres’ existence, while providing a good measure of their importance relative to the great mines. In an effort to make a profit from the sale of mercury to silver producers, and to ensure that a constant supply of mercury was available to diem, the Crown and its agents in Mexico had tried, between 1559 and 1572, to set up a monopoly of the production and distribution of mercury.