Mining and metallurgy. Colonial Tucumán 16th and 17th centuries

Abstract

Mining activity and metallurgical production were aspects that played important roles during the history of the native Northwestern Argentine population. On the one hand, during the prehispanic times, metal objectsand metallurgical production had a high social value. On the other hand, profiting from mining was the primary activity during the processes of conquest and colonization in the New World during the 16th and 17th centuries. While it is known that the extraction of metal was one of the main elements of exploitation of indigenous labor force in Alto Peru, little attention has been paid to its analysis in the context of the native rebellions in the Calchaqui valley before 1665. The objective is to study the conflicts in this area during the 16th and 17th centuries, focusing on mining and metallurgy in the Antigua Gobernación del Tucumán.