Huancavelica
Encyclopedia
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. It is the capital of the Huancavelica region
Huancavelica Region
Huancavelica is a region in Peru. Area: 22,131.47 km². Population: 447,054 . The capital is the city of Huancavelica.It is bordered by Lima Region and Ica in the west, Junín in the north, and Ayacucho in the east....
and has a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of approximately 40,000. Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
represent a major percentage of the population. It has an approximate altitude
Altitude
Altitude or height is defined based on the context in which it is used . As a general definition, altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The reference datum also often varies according to the context...
of 3,600 meters; the climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
is cold and dry between the months of February and August with a rainy season between September and January. It is considered one of the poorest cities in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.
Geography
The Huancavelica area features a rough geographyGeography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
with highly varied elevation, from 1,950 metres in the valleys to more than 5,000 metres on its snow-covered summits. These mountains contain metallic deposits. They consist of the western chain of the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
, which includes the Chonta mountain range, formed by a series of hills, the most prominent of which are: Citaq (5328m), Huamanrazo (5298m) and Altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
(5268m).
Among the region's rivers are the Mantaro, the Pampas, the Huarpa and the Churcampa. The Rio Mantaro penetrates Huancavelica, forming Tayacaja's Peninsula. Another river that shapes the relief is that of the Cuenca of the Rio Pampas, which is born in the lagoons of Huancavelica's high sierras, as Choclococha and Oclococha is also a relief place tomstay in.
History
In the pre-Incan era, Huancavelica was known as the Wancawilka region or "the place where the grandsons of the WankasWankas
The Huancas or Wankas are a historic Quechua people living in what is presently the Junín region of Peru, in and around the Mantaro Valley.-History:...
live". The city itself was established on August 5, 1572. The mines of Huancavelica were discovered in 1563/1564 by the Indian Nahuincopa, servant of Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera.
The area was the most prolific source of mercury
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
in Spanish America, and as such was vital to the mining operations of the Spanish
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
colonial era. Mercury was necessary to extract silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
from the ores
Orés
Orés is a municipality in the Cinco Villas, in the province of Zaragoza, in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It belongs to the comarca of Cinco Villas. It is placed 104 km to the northwest of the provincial capital city, Zaragoza. Its coordinates are: 42° 17' N, 1° 00' W, and is...
produced in the silver mines of Peru, as well as those of Potosí
Potosí
Potosí is a city and the capital of the department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the highest cities in the world by elevation at a nominal . and it was the location of the Spanish colonial mint, now the National Mint of Bolivia...
in Alto Perú ("Upper Perú," now Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
), using amalgamation processes such as the patio process
Patio process
The patio process was a process used to extract silver from ore. The process was invented by Bartolomé de Medina in Pachuca, New Spain , in 1554. The patio process was the first process to use mercury amalgamation to recover silver from ore. It replaced smelting as the primary method of extracting...
or pan amalgamation
Pan amalgamation
The Pan amalgamation process is a method to extract silver from ore, using mercury. The process was widely used from 1609 through the 19th century; it is no longer used....
. Mercury was so essential that mercury consumption was the basis upon which the tax on precious metals, known as the quinto real
Quinto Real
The Quinto Real or the Quinto del rey, the "King's fifth", was a 20% tax established in 1504 that Spain levied on the mining of precious metals. The tax was a major source of revenue for the Spanish monarchy. In 1723 the tax was reduced to 10%....
("royal fifth"), was levied.
The extraction of the quicksilver
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
in the socavones (tunnels) was extremely difficult. Every day before the miners came down, a mass for the dead was celebrated. Due to the need of numerous hand-workers and the high rate of mortality, the Viceroy of Perù Francisco de Toledo
Francisco de Toledo, Count of Oropesa
Francisco Álvarez de Toledo, Count of Oropesa was Spanish viceroy of Peru from November 26, 1569 to September 23, 1581.-Early years:...
resumed and improved the pre-Columbian mandatory service of the mita
Mita (Inca)
Mit'a was mandatory public service in the society of the Inca Empire. Historians use the hispanicized term mita to distinguish the system as it was modified by the Spanish, under whom it became a form of legal servitude which in practise bordered slavery.Mit'a was effectively a form of tribute to...
. Despite the risks, the mining attracted people from all over the Viceroyalty. The alloted concession
Concession (contract)
A concession is a business operated under a contract or license associated with a degree of exclusivity in business within a certain geographical area. For example, sports arenas or public parks may have concession stands. Many department stores contain numerous concessions operated by other...
were rectangular, about 67x33m. Miners were divided in carreteros and barreteros.
In 1648 the Viceroy of Peru, declared that Potosí and Huancavelica were "the two pillars that support this kingdom and that of Spain." Moreover, the viceroy thought that Spain could, if necessary, dispense with the silver from Potosí, but it could not dispense with the mercury from Huancavelica.
Transportation
Huancavelica is serviced by a trainTrain
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
which runs between it and Huancayo
Huancayo
Huancayo with a rock') is the capital of the Junín Region, in the central highlands of Peru. It is located in Junín Province, of which it is also capital. Situated near the Mantaro Valley at an altitude of 3,271 meters, it has a population of 377,000 and is the fifth most populous city of the...
known as "el Tren Macho". According to popular saying, this train “leaves when it wants and arrives when it can...”.
In 2009, the line between the break-of-gauge
Break-of-gauge
With railways, a break-of-gauge occurs where a line of one gauge meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock cannot run through without some form of conversion between gauges, and freight and passengers must otherwise be transloaded...
at Huancayo
Huancayo
Huancayo with a rock') is the capital of the Junín Region, in the central highlands of Peru. It is located in Junín Province, of which it is also capital. Situated near the Mantaro Valley at an altitude of 3,271 meters, it has a population of 377,000 and is the fifth most populous city of the...
to Huancavelica is being converted from gauge to gauge.
See also
- Region de Huancavelica (Spanish)Huancavelica RegionHuancavelica is a region in Peru. Area: 22,131.47 km². Population: 447,054 . The capital is the city of Huancavelica.It is bordered by Lima Region and Ica in the west, Junín in the north, and Ayacucho in the east....
- Huancavelica (Spanish)
- Departamento de Huancavelica (Spanish)
- AlmadénAlmadénAlmadén, Spain, is a town and municipality in the province of Ciudad Real, within the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. The town is located at 4° 49' W and 38° 46' N and is 589 meters above sea level. Almadén is approximately 200 km south of Madrid in the Sierra Morena...
(the other major source of mercury in the Spanish empire). - Transport in Peru
External links
- Pagina Web del Gobierno Regional de Huancavelica - Peru
- Web Oficial Municipalidad de la Ciudad de Huancavelica
- Rutas de Acceso a Huancavelica desde Lima - Peru
Bruno COLLIN, « L’argent du Potosi (Pérou) et les émissions monétaires françaises », Histoire et mesure, XVII - N° 3/4 - Monnaie et espace, mis en ligne le 30 octobre 2006, référence du 24 septembre 2007, disponible sur : http://histoiremesure.revues.org/document894.html.
Raul GUERRERO (Pau University, UA 911), La cartographie minière américaine. http://www.mgm.fr/PUB/Mappemonde/M488/m41_43.pdf