Copper-bearing
deposits, in blue-green globules called boleos, were
discovered near here in 1868, and in 1885 a French mining company
calling itself El Boleo acquired mineral rights to the area
for 99 years. To help build over 600 km (375 miles) of mine
tunnels, a large copper smelting foundry (imported by ship from
Europe), a pier, and a 30-km (18 mile) mine railway, the French
brought in Yaqui indians from Sonora; fresh water was piped in
from the Santa Aqueda oasis, 16 km (10 miles) west. Two
thousand Chinese and Japanese laborers, told they would be able to
plant rice, also came to work at El Boleo. When they
found that rice wouldn't grow in Baja, almost all of them left;
many ended up in Sinaloa across the Cortez.
After smelting, the
copper ore was shipped to Tacoma, Washington, for refining.
Instead of returning empty, copper-transport ships brought lumber
from the Pacific Northwest to Santa Rosaliá, and, as the town
grew, the French filled the arroyo and mesas on either side with
wooden buildings to house workers, company officials, and Mexican
soldiers. During EL Boleo's heyday in the 1940's, a
sooty cloud issued constantly from the foundry's smokestack,
hanging over the town. Eventually, the ore began to run out,
and in 1954 the French company sold its mining facilities back to
the Mexican government. Copper ore from the Mexican mainland
is smelted in Santa Rosaliá on occasion, but the mines closed in
1985.
Without the mines
in operation, Santa Rosaliá (pop. 10,200) is probably a far more
pleasant place to live than ever before. Today it serves a
government, transportation, and market center for central
Baja. It is also an important tourist crossroads for
visitors making the ferry trip to the mainland or stocking up on
supplies for further peninsular exploration.
The Mahatma Gandhi
Public Library in Parque Morelos, at the east end of town near the
harbor, features an exhibit of historic photos from Santa Rosaliá's
mining days.
From: THE BAJA
HANDBOOK by Joe Cummings
Click book image for purchase details
