Sulphur mining on Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano (1820-1920): Origins, development, and human-environmental challenges

Abstract

This paper traces the origins and development of a little-known extractive industry in nineteenth-century Mexico: volcanic sulphur mining. Unpublished documents from Mexican archives, nineteenth-century travel literature, reports from early scientific expeditions, and historical newspapers provide the bulk of data. Documents show how both Mexican and United States interests-indigenous sulphur miners (azufreros) and venture capitalists-confronted the challenges of mining sulphur from the crater of Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano, at 5,426 meters (17,802 feet) elevation. © 2012 Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers.