Abstract

ROJAS, Facundo  and  WAGNER, Lucrecia. Failed "developments" at the historic mines Famatina and Capillitas: Issues for thinking about the current socio‐enviornmental situation. Trab. soc. [online]. 2017, n.28, pp.281-307. ISSN 1514-6871.

This paper deals with the working conditions and the socio-environmental consequences of large-scale mining in the provinces of La Rioja and Catamarca, Argentina, between 1850 and 1914. It analizes the evolution of the largest mines, Famatina and Capillitas. We affirm that the mining companies’ appropriation of the workers’ wages and the exploitation of natural resources influenced the crisises of these historic mines. These crises led to the abandonment of ore-rich sites for decades, and even did away with regional economic approaches that were based on large-scale mining, which initially seemed like a solution to the region’s problems, according to the governing elite. Even though the clearest causes of abandonment were high costs and difficult access for transportation, in addition to unfavorable economic and political situations in the country and in the world, other socio-enviornmental causes, which we highlight, have not been sufficiently evaluated. We rely on the the critical analysis of historical documents, from perspectives and methodologies appropriate for climate history, sociology, and political ecology. We hope to contibute to issues that are essential for understanding the contradictions of our time, as mining is curently being debated in these same areas and sites.

Keywords : Mining; Famatina; Capillitas; Regional development; Workers; Political ecology.

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