Trabajadores y técnicas mineras andinas en las fiebres del oro del mundo en el siglo XIX

Abstract

During the XIX century, the alluvial gold findings in the United Sates, Australia, New Zealand and other territories, attracted numerous adventurers, including South American immigrants with knowledge in mining tasks. They had skills in traditional mining techniques for the extraction and refining of gold, which applied both to placers and underground mines. Among the techniques South Americans carried to these places, were the grinding and refining of hard ore in a small artisanal mill called molino chileno, also known as chilean mill, chilian mill, chilli mill, chile mill, and by some other names. This method was widely adopted around mining areas of the world and its origins may be traced back to those who carried this practice from the Southern Cone.

Keywords

• Mineral grinding
• Chilean mill
• amalgamation
• XIX century gold rushes
• gold and silver refining