The wind blew strongly and whipped the dry earth into flurries of sand.
Surrounded by cacti and arid hills, we traveled on a rough dirt road out to the now derelict mine of Pozos.
We were fascinated by the cactus fences strung together with barbed wired.
Mineral de Pozos was founded in 1576 to exploit the rich gold and silver mines nearby. During its most glorious period, there were 17 gold and silver mining haciendas, and up to one thousand men worked in each one every day. “Pozos” became one of the cities where more silver was produced in Mexico and in the world. By the early twentieth century, “Pozos” had become a prosperous city, with about 50,000 inhabitants and a strong trading network. As the veins became depleted, the town slowly faded, until the last mine was closed in 1950. Just about 300 people remained in the town.
Surrounded by cacti and arid hills, we traveled on a rough dirt road out to the now derelict mine of Pozos.
We were fascinated by the cactus fences strung together with barbed wired.
Mineral de Pozos was founded in 1576 to exploit the rich gold and silver mines nearby. During its most glorious period, there were 17 gold and silver mining haciendas, and up to one thousand men worked in each one every day. “Pozos” became one of the cities where more silver was produced in Mexico and in the world. By the early twentieth century, “Pozos” had become a prosperous city, with about 50,000 inhabitants and a strong trading network. As the veins became depleted, the town slowly faded, until the last mine was closed in 1950. Just about 300 people remained in the town.
As the town is derelict so are the mines. However, a lone caretaker stands guard. He has a horse, a dog, a run down lean to. His washing hung on the line and the dogs barked a warning as we approached.
From somewhere out of the cactus field came an old man with his knife. He walked slowly and deliberately down the worn path. One of the ladies walked up to him and then took a step back when she saw the weapon,
We were told he was originally one of the miners. now he stands guard in a lonely existence out in the countryside.