Mining in Mexico represented 2.4% of the nation's
gross domestic product
Gross domestic product (GDP) is a money, monetary Measurement in economics, measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjec ...
in 2023 and employed 350,000 people in 2020. Mexico is the world's largest producer of silver and a globally significant producer of gold, copper and zinc. In 2020, Mexico produced the world's 12th largest volume of minerals by value.
Since 2018, Mexico's left-wing president has been taking a firmer stance towards mining companies and reforming mining regulations. President
López Obrador
López is a surname of Spanish origin.
It was originally a patronymic, meaning "Son of Lope", ''Lope'' itself being a Spanish given name deriving from Latin ''lupus'', meaning "wolf". Its Portuguese and Galician equivalent is '' Lopes'', its It ...
was critical of (the mostly foreign owner) the mining company's track record of environmental harm and tax avoidance.
Economy
In 2023, mining in Mexico represented 2.4% of the nation's
gross domestic product
Gross domestic product (GDP) is a money, monetary Measurement in economics, measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjec ...
, and 8.2% of Mexico's industrial GDP. The mining sector employed 350,000 people in 2020, and generated US$1.5 billion in direct government tax revenue, and an additional US$1.84 billion of government revenue from exports of mined natural resources.
Mexico is the world's largest producer of silver
and a globally significant producer of gold, copper and zinc.
In 2020, Mexico produced the world's 12th largest volume of minerals, valued at US$17.8 billion.
Politics
Mapping and consultations about mining in Mexico are led the by the
Mexican Geological Survey
The Mexican Geological Survey ( es, Servicio Geológico Mexicano) is an agency of the Mexican government; its mission includes mapping and mining consultation.
History
The Mexican Geological Survey originated as the Directing Committee for Me ...
government agency.
In January 2013, 500 activists met in
Capulálpam de Méndez, Oaxaca at the ''¡Sí a la vida! ¡No a la minera!'' (
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
''Yes to life! No to mining!'') event. The event was undertaken to coordinate anti-mining efforts, perceived by the activists as harmful to their lives.
Mexico's left-wing
president
Andrés Manuel López Obrador
Andrés Manuel López Obrador (; born 13 November 1953), also known by his initials AMLO, is a Mexican politician who has been serving as the 65th president of Mexico since 1 December 2018. He previously served as Head of Government of Mexico ...
halted issuing any new mining licences, and did not consider mining an essential business permitted to operate during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
López Obrador has been critical of corporate tax avoidance and environmental damage, and has both reformed mining regulations and increased state control of mining operations. The president nationalised the nation's lithium reserves in 2022.
In 2023, the Canadian government noted the Mexican's government rapid action to improve the conditions of Mexican miners, after the Mexican government changed 20,000
collective bargaining agreements
Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers' compensation and rights for workers. The i ...
it perceived to be favouring mine owners at the expense of workers.
Companies
74% of mining concessions in Mexico are owned by Canadian companies. Significant and notable mining companies include
Grupo Mexico,
Newmont
Newmont Corporation is a gold mining company based in Greenwood Village, Colorado, United States. It is the world's largest gold mining corporation. Incorporated in 1921, it owns gold mines in Nevada, Colorado, Ontario, Quebec, Mexico, the Domin ...
, Southern Silver Exploration,
Ganfeng Lithium
Ganfeng Lithium Co., Ltd. is a company that produces lithium, lithium products, other metals, and batteries in mainland China and globally. It was founded by Li Liangbin in 2000 and is headquartered in Xinyu, Jiangxi.
It is the largest lithiu ...
,
Fortuna Silver Mines
Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. is a Canada-based precious metals mining company with operations in Argentina, Burkina Faso, Mexico and Peru. The Company is primarily engaged in producing silver and gold minerals. The Company’s operated mines and proje ...
,
Blackfire Exploration
Blackfire Exploration Ltd. is an exploration and mining company based in Calgary, Alberta,
Canada. The company holds mineral rights in British Columbia, Canada, and Chiapas, Mexico (through its 100% owned Mexican subsidiary company: Blackfire E ...
,
Alamos Gold
Alamos Gold ("Alamos") is a Canadian multinational gold producer, headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Alamos operates three mines across North America, and has six further projects in development.
Alamos Gold is engaged in the mining and extract ...
,
Aurcana Corporation,
Hochschild Mining
Hochschild Mining plc is a leading British-based silver and gold mining business operating in North, Central, and South America. It is headquartered in Lima, Peru, with a corporate office in London, is listed on the London Stock Exchange. The mai ...
,
and
Excellon Resources.
Alamos Gold
Alamos Gold is a Canadian mining company that own the
Mulatos gold mine and the
El Chanate defunct gold mines both
Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...
.
Aurcana Corporation
Aurcana Corporation operated the
La Negra mine
La Negra mine is a silver mine in the Mexican state of Querétaro, owned by Excellon Resources.
Description
La Negra is a silver mine in Querétaro, Mexico. The mine has thirteen known ore bodies, overwhelmingly of silver, but also with sma ...
, a silver, copper, zinc and lead mine in
Querétaro
Querétaro (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro, links=no; Otomi language, Otomi: ''Hyodi Ndämxei''), is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. I ...
.
Blackfire Exploration
Blackfire Exploration is a Canadian firm that owns the
La Revancha baryte
Baryte, barite or barytes ( or ) is a mineral consisting of barium sulfate ( Ba S O4). Baryte is generally white or colorless, and is the main source of the element barium. The ''baryte group'' consists of baryte, celestine (strontium sulfate), ...
mine in
Chicomuselo
Chicomuselo is a municipality in the Mexican state of Chiapas, and also the name of the municipality's largest settlement and the seat of the municipal government. The municipality has an area of 1,043 km².
As of 2010, the municipality h ...
, in
Chiapas
Chiapas (; Tzotzil language, Tzotzil and Tzeltal language, Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, ...
.
The mine opened in 2007
with the local community divided between support and opposition.
The mine was closed by authorities in 2009 after the assassination of anti-moining activist
Mariano Abarca
Mariano Abarca Roblero (1958–2009) was a community activist known for leading opposition against mining by Blackfire Exploration in his community of Chicomuselo in the state of Chiapas in Southern Mexico. He was a member of the Red Mexicana de ...
.
Abarca had previously been assaulted by Blackfire Exploration staff. In 2011, the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...
raided Blackfire Exploration's offices while investigating the payment of a bribe to a Chiapas state mayor. Three staff were arrested during the raid.
Excellon Resources
![Barite Crushing & Jig Plant](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Barite_Crushing_%26_Jig_Plant.png)
Canadian owner of
La Platosa mine and
La Negra silver mine.
Fortuna Silver Mines
Fortuna Silver Mines is a Canadian mining company that has operated in southern Mexico since 2011.
Ganfeng Lithium
Ganfeng Lithium is a Chinese company that bought the a lithium mine in
Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...
in 2021, before the nation nationalised its lithium reserves.
Grupo Mexico
Grupo Mexico owns nine mines that produce copper, lead, zinc and silver.
Hochschild Mining
Hochschild Mining opened the Moris open-pit gold and silver mine in
Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to:
Places
*Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state
**Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state
**Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state
**Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state
**Chihuahua Mun ...
in 2007.
Newmont
Newmont is an American
mining company that operates the nation's largest gold mine, the
Peñasquito mine The Peñasquito Polymetallic Mine is the fifth largest silver mine in the world and the second largest in Mexico. It is located in north-eastern corner of the State of Zacatecas and is wholly owned by Newmont Goldcorp. It is an open pit operation w ...
, also notable for being the nation's second largest silver mine and a significant source of zinc and lead.
Southern Silver Exploration
Southern Silver Exploration own the
Cerro Las Minitas prospect in
Durango
Durango (), officially named Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Durango; Tepehuán: ''Korian''; Nahuatl: ''Tepēhuahcān''), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in ...
expected to produce significant quantities of silver, lead, zinc, copper and gold. The company owns the Velardeña mine in Durango and San Martin mine in
Querétaro City
Santiago de Querétaro (; Otomi: Dähnini Maxei), known simply as Querétaro City ( es, Ciudad de Querétaro), is the capital and largest city of the state of Querétaro, located in central Mexico. It is part of the macroregion of Bajío. It is n ...
, both producing of gold, silver, zinc and lead.
Mining by mineral
*
Coal mining in Mexico
*
Mexican amber
Mexican amber, also known as Chiapas Amber is amber found in Mexico, created during the Early Miocene and middle Miocene epochs of the Cenozoic Era in southwestern North America. As with other ambers, a wide variety of taxa have been found as inc ...
Notable people
*
Mariano Abarca
Mariano Abarca Roblero (1958–2009) was a community activist known for leading opposition against mining by Blackfire Exploration in his community of Chicomuselo in the state of Chiapas in Southern Mexico. He was a member of the Red Mexicana de ...
(anti-mining activist, assassinated in 2009)
*
David Roldán Lara
David Roldán Lara (2 March 1902 – 15 August 1926) was a Mexican layman who was killed during the Cristero War. A pro-Catholic activist during the anticlerical period under President Plutarco Elías Calles, he was captured by government forces, ...
(miner)
*
Francis Rule
Francis Rule (1835 – 24 June 1925) was a Cornish miner who moved to Mexico and became immensely wealthy by using pumping equipment to explore previously flooded and abandoned mines. He found and exploited rich seams of silver and use the fund ...
(Cornish miner who worked in Mexico)
See also
*
Economy of Mexico
The economy of Mexico is a Developing country, developing mixed-market economy. It is the List of countries by GDP (nominal), 15th largest in the world in nominal GDP terms and the List of countries by GDP (PPP), 13th largest by purchasing power ...
*
Lists of countries by mineral production
The following list creates a summary of the two major producers of different minerals (and coal, which is generally not considered a mineral).
Fuels
Fossil fuels
Nuclear fuel
Gemstones
Metals
See also
*Lists of mines
This lis ...
*
Silver mining
Silver mining is the extraction of silver from minerals, starting with mining. Because silver is often found in intimate combination with other metals, its extraction requires elaborate technologies. In 2008, ca.25,900 metric tons were consumed ...
*
List of mines in Mexico
This list of mines in Mexico is subsidiary to the list of mines article and lists working, defunct and future mines in the country and is organised by the primary mineral output. For practical purposes stone, marble and other quarry, quarries may ...
References
{{World topic, Mining in, noredlinks=yes
Mining industry by country
Mining in Mexico
Economy of Mexico
Politics of Mexico