The Abandoned Silver Mines of Sierra Alhamilla: A Hidden History

From 1796 to 1930, the abandoned mines of Sierra Alhamilla in southern Spain were a crucial source of silver and other minerals, bolstering Spain’s economy. D. Guillermo Barrón served as the director-general of mining operations at El Chorrillo, a smelting site also known as La Fabriquilla. Although the American company Marwell y Compañía and the Spanish company Alquife considered relocating their mining operations after over a century, the essential mines remained on the northern slope, within sight of Lucainena de las Torres. The central and western part of Sierra Alhamilla was first mined by the American company Marwell y Compañía in the 1880s, followed by the Morel Brothers from Cardiff, who took over the exploration of the Sierra Alhamilla mines in 1896, with mining operations on the northern slope starting from 1833 to 1840.

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