Silver by Fire, Silver by Mercury: A Chemical History of Silver Refining in New Spain and Mexico, 16th to 19th Centuries

Saul Guerrero is Visiting Professor of the Universidad Metropolitana, Caracas, Venezuela. He has a Ph.D. in Polymer Science from Bristol University (1980), and a Ph.D. in History from McGill University (2015). He has published articles on polymer science, oil energy policy and history.

• General Series Editor’s PrefaceAcknowledgementsList of IllustrationsGuide to the textIntroduction1 The genesis and nature of silver oresWhy Spain?To have and have notOld World silver oresNew World silver oresA red herringThe other chemical keysThe immoveable object and the unstoppable forceThe table is set2 The dry refining process: smelting of silver oresDeceitful mercurySmelting of silver ores: the human contextThe chemistry of smelting and the nature of the oreThe architecture of smelting in New SpainThe infrastructure of smelting in New SpainPlata de fuego (silver by fire)3 The dry refining process: its impact on the environmentLead: the nature of its consumptionLead: the directionality of its lossLead: its sourceCharcoal and the scale of depletion of woodlandThe local environmental impact of smeltingA straightforward decision4 The wet refining process: the chemistry of the patio processPlus ça changeThe alchemy of MercuryThe gold connectionThe complex mechanism of a mercury-based refining processThe correspondencia: the key to the fate of mercuryThe loss of calomelThe stages in the use of mercury to refine gold and silver oresThe twists in the trailMercury-based refining of silver ores: the human factorPlata de azogue (silver by mercury)5 The physical infrastructure of the patio processThe patio processThe architecture of the patio processThe environmental impact vectors of the patio processA unique industrial effort6 The Hacienda Santa María de ReglaThe nineteenth centuryThe Adventurers in the Mines of Real del MonteThe Hacienda de ReglaMain process areasThe mass balance of the silver refining processes at Regla, 1872 to 18887 The patio process and smelting at ReglaThe keys to an efficient patio process at ReglaThe challenges of the smelting process at ReglaThe efficiency of extracting silver at ReglaThe labour force at ReglaThe mass balance for the patio process at ReglaThe mass balance for smelting at ReglaThe environmental loss vectors in the period 1872 to 1888A snapshot of a refining hacienda8 The economies of refining silverRoads to richesRefining costs in New Spain, as reportedThe refining costs at ReglaThe false positives of the patio processSilver in the context of other commodity tradesThe bottom line9 The environmental impact of silver refining: a shift of paradigmThe base lineAn estimate of the breakdown of silver production by refining process by CajaAggregate totals for New SpainAggregate totals for Mexico, 1820 to 1900Environmental impact vectors, sixteenth to nineteenth centuryWhat did they know and when did they know it?Was mercury the indispensable key to silver in the New World?EpilogueAppendix A: The accounting books of ReglaAppendix B: Sensitivity matrix for refining costsAppendix C: Estimates of silver production by Caja and refining process, including balance of mercury consumption and physical lossesGlossary of technical terms in SpanishArchival sourcesBibliographyIndex