Cerro de San Pedro

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Cerro de San Pedro is a village in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí. The town started as a mining town for gold and silver. It was the founding town of the state, and its figure is prominent in the state's coat of arms.

Contents 1 Location 2 Environmental disaster 2.1 Repression and crimes against NGOs 3 History 4 Contemporary history 5 Towns 6 The present time 7 Names of selected mines 8 Main shafts 9 References 10 External links

[edit] Location

The village is located in the central part of the state. The coordinates of the city center are 100º 48’ east longitude and 22º 13’ north latitude, and 2,040 meters above sea level. The city borders Soledad de Graciano Sánchez on the north and west, Armadillo de los Infante on the east, and San Luis Potosí and Villa de Zaragoza on the south.

[edit] Environmental disaster

For over ten years, the community and the Broad Opposition Front (FAO) have been engaged in a legal battle with Metallica Resources Inc. and their subsidiary Minera San Xavier, because of the aggressive operation of an open sky mine that threatens to destroy the town and poison everything in miles around. The courts have consistently handed down judgments in favour of the community and FAO. on February 2006, the courts annulled Metallica's temporary permit to use explosives as it contravenes a state decree recognizing Cerro de San Pedro and the surrounding area as a protected site due to the unique flora and fauna in the area. Yet, Metallica Resources Inc. went ahead with blasting and other operations, in complete violation of Mexican law. Furthermore, Mexican authorities at all levels of government have demonstrated a complete lack of political will to enforce the law.^[1]

The mining used in the site is known as open pit mining leaching by cyanide, which is banned in first world countries because of its disastrous ecological consequences.^[2] And which in similar projects, like the Real de Angeles Mining Complex has proven to poison the blood of the inhabitants of the zone as far aways as twenty kilometers in all directions. ^[3]

Just 12 kilometers away from the capital of the state, all independent studies ^[4] remark that the ecological damage caused by Minera San Xavier will be grave and irreversible, the contamination will affect the state's capital and larger city, San Luis Potosí, specially given that the explotaition site lies over the city's underground water currents.^[5]

Ana Maria Alvarado, a member of the community of Cerro de San Pedro and representative of the Broad Opposition Front testified how plans to establish an open pit gold mine in her community would, in fact, destroy historic 17th century landmarks, displace the population, cause irreparable damage to the environment and leach harmful cyanide into the water supply of 1.5 million inhabitants in the surrounding area. She described the considerable risks to the environment and the community of a process that will use 32 million litres of water, 16 tons of cyanide and 25 tons of explosives on a daily basis. Moreover, she testified that Metallica is doing all this in contravention of Mexican law.^[6]

[edit] Repression and crimes against NGOs

Although the law is clearly on the community's side, the Mexican authorities are not willing to enforce the law. Thus, while she was in Canada, Ms. Alvarado spoke of how, having no other recourse, the FAO and community members have begun to try to physically stop the mining operation by peacefully placing themselves in the path of Metallica's machinery.

On April 14, employees of Minera San Xavier reportedly attacked two members of the FAO. Enrique Rivera Sierra, FAO's lawyer, was repeatedly struck on the head. Witnesses heard his assailants shout, "let's see if you continue speaking against Minera San Xavier, my boss will be very happy with my work and if you continue talking, you are going to die".^[7]

[edit] History

In 1583, in the town of Mesquitique, Brother Diego de la Magdalena met with some of the Guachichil natives. Among them was one named Cualiname or Gualiname, who called their attention to golden outlines in their face paintings. The friar asked him where he had obtained this pigment. The native told him that there was much of the powder to the east of their present location.

Brother Diego told Brother Francisco Franco about this discovery, who told Captain Miguel Caldera, who took possession of the place. Captain Caldera sent Gregorio de León, Juan de la Torre, and Pedro de Anda to prospect for minerals. The latter named the place San Pedro del Potosí, to honor his namesake saint and in memory of the famous mines of the Potosí in Alto Perú, today Bolivia.

In and around the hill was much gold and silver, but there was not enough water to make it worth mining. The nearest water was towards the north, in a region still dominated by several native Chichimeca tribes, and where the city of San Luis Potosí would later arise. The historian Primo Feliciano Velázquez y Basalenque included extensive descriptions of the place in his accounts.

[edit] Contemporary history

The mines were operated by, among other companies, Metalúrgica Mexicana, ASARCO. During its time, a mining strike was called (1948), which was lost by the miners; the company decided to leave, not before collapsing the main shafts and tunnels. The mines were never declared exhausted.

[edit] Towns

This Municipality includes several towns and some colonies, as follows:

• Cerro de San Pedro (Cabecera Municipal)
• Portezuelo
• Real del Potosi
• Monte De Caldera
• Cuesta de Campa
• La Zapatilla
• Divisadero
• Calderon
• Jesus Maria
• Joyita de la Cruz
• La Florida
• Granjas de San Pedro
• Granjas de la Florida
• Planta del Carmen

[edit] The present time

Nowadays, with more efficient modern methods, the infrastructure is being implemented to resume operations using mines open to the sky. This has caused great concern to anthropologists, ecologists, scientists^[8] remark that the ecological damage caused by Minera San Xavier will be grave and irreversible, the contamination will affect the state's capital and larger city, San Luis Potosí, specially given that the explotaition site lies over the city's underground water currents.^[9] and civil population who fear this will affect the historic sites, flora, fauna and the adjunt capital city's water supply from the use of cyanide in the mining process.

[edit] Names of selected mines

La Descubridora, San Pedro Celestial, Bisnagas, Barreno, Socavon Aventurero Mina la Victoria,5 de Mayo, San Pedro el Alto, San Pedro el Bajo, Catillas (located on Bufa Hill), Begonia, Socavon del Rey, Dorotea, La Encantada, La Flor, Tiro San Pedro, Tiro Juarez, Cañon de las Mulas, Salon Colorado

[edit] Main shafts

San Pedro shaft, Juarez shaft, Begonia shaft

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Reference Cerro de San Pedro in San Luis Potosí