La Valenciana Silver Mine

Near the Church of la Valenciana lies the interesting La Valenciana silver-mine, now reopened. It was discovered in 1766 by Antonio Obregón y Alcocer, a miner who became a mine-owner and Conde de Valenciana. It rapidly became the most productive mine in the world, employing up to 3300 miners in shafts penetrating to a depth of 500 m (1650 ft). Some of the old buildings have fallen into ruin or disappeared altogether, but visitors can still see the pyramid-shaped walls over which Indian workers hauled the ropes bringing up baskets of ore.