Cerro de San Pedro

Location The village is located in the central part of the state, at above sea level. The village borders Soledad de Graciano Sánchez on the north and west, Armadillo de los Infante on the east, and San Luis Potosí city on the southwest, and Villa de Zaragoza on the south. The co-ordinates of the center of the village are 100° 49’ west longitude and 22° 13’ north latitude. ==History==

The hills were in the homelands of the indigenous Chichimeca people and Guachichil people during the pre-Columbian era. The village started as a Spanish colonial mining settlement for gold and silver, and was formally established in 1592. It was the founding settlement of the state, and a symbol of its mineral rich hill is prominent in the state's coat of arms. Unfortunately, the hill has disappeared in the 2010s, as a result of the new opencast mine consuming its mass and site. Mining history In 1592 padre Diego de la Magdalena met with some of the Guachichil peoples in the pueblo of Mesquitique. Among them was one man named Cualiname or Gualiname, who brought attention to the golden outlines in their face paintings. The missionary asked him where he had obtained this pigment, and was told there was much of the powder to the east of Mesquitique. Magdalena told Padre Francisco Franco about this discovery, who then told Captain Miguel Caldera, who took possession of the place from the indigenous peoples for the Viceroyalty of New Spain. Captain Caldera sent Gregorio de León, Juan de la Torre, and Pedro de Anda to verify the existence of the minerals. The latter named the locality San Pedro del Potosí, to honor his namesake saint and in memory of the famous mines of the Potosí in Upper Peru of the Viceroyalty of Peru, in present-day Bolivia. Gold and silver were found in and around the hills of San Pedro, but there was not enough local water to support mining operations. The nearest water source was to the north in the homelands of the Chichimeca people. Hindrances were overcome by 1624, and the mines were rich producers of gold and silver for centuries. The Mesoamerican historian Primo Feliciano Velázquez y Basalenque included extensive descriptions of the Cerro de San Pedro area in his accounts. Main shafts • San Pedro shaft • Juarez shaft • Begonia shaft == Contemporary mining ==

In the 20th century the mines were operated by several companies, including the Metalúrgica Mexicana subsidiary of American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO) beginning in 1928. Open pit mine In 1999, after notable local and national opposition and assassinated opponents, the Cerro de San Pedro Mine was restarted for gold mining by New Gold/MSX, though as an open pit mine instead of using underground methods. There was/is significant opposition because the open pit would be/is in an area that was declared an area of colonial monuments in 1972 as well as a wildlife preservation zone in 1993. In 1997, MSX had received an authorization from local authorities to start the mining project. In 1999, the Mexican Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) granted MSX an environmental permit to conduct mining operations. In September 2009 the Mexican Federal Tribunal of Administrative and Fiscal Justice unequivocally declared the 2006 environmental Change of Land Use permit necessary to operate the mine “null and void". ==Towns==

The villages and colonias in the Cerro de San Pedro Municipality include: • Cerro de San Pedro (Cabecera Municipal, municipal seat) • 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 == References ==