| Real Del Monte 1766 Strike Bags | |
|---|---|
|
Origin |
Real Del Monte Strike |
|
Type |
Canvas Bags |
|
Effects |
Permeates dirt and stone with precious metals |
|
Downsides |
Exhaustion that prevents work |
|
Activation |
Placing in dirt |
|
Section |
|
| [Source] | |
Origin[]
The 1766 Real del Monte strike occurred when silver miners in the province of New Spain went on strike for better working conditions. Real del Monte was a prosperous mining city under the Spanish crown, located in east-central Mexico—today a municipality in the state of Hidalgo. The mines in the district are conservatively estimated to have produced 1.2 billion Troy ounces of silver and 6.2 million ounces of gold. That is 6% of the silver mined throughout the world during the last five centuries. Some of the mines have continued limited production until the present day.
The mines were owned and controlled by the Count de Regla, Pedro Romero de Terreros from 1735 until Mexican independence from Spain in 1821. He is considered by many to be one of the richest and most powerful Spaniards in the colonies at the time of the strike, and is noted for his incredible business skill in restoring his bankrupt uncle's estate to one of the most prosperous silver producing regions in the whole of Spanish America. The strike in 1766 though, in which miners protested changes in labor and wage practices under Terreros, is considered by many to be the first real labor strike in North American history, as it was not only a work stoppage, which had occurred in many places before, but an organized attempt at renegotiating labor contracts and conditions.
The mines at Real del Monte are an example of the diverse specialization within the silver industry, as Real del Monte had thirty different specialized tasks carried out by different skilled laborers. The majority worked in the trenches and were tasked with filling a roughly 100 pound bag each twelve-hour shift and carrying it up 1800 notched steps steeply built into the side of the mine. Workers were paid in cash as well as partidos, half of the higher-grade silver ore they mined each day outside of the quota bag. Many reported serious ailments and injuries resulting from working in the mines, specifically heart and lung trouble.
To offset the cost of flooding rehabilitation, Terreros reduced wages and Partido shares to nearly nothing and slowly increased the minimum haul size needed per day. The increased weight made excavation more treacherous and difficult to meet demand. Grievances were brought up to the overseers with a petition for sitewide dissatisfaction but to little avail. Violence broke out with the stoning of several managers and the release of miners from the prison while many refused to work. A compromise was reached that the Partido system would remain but be a 50-50 mix of high and low grade ore for workers and management to ensure equal payment. Unease remained for several years with riots and limited production.
Effects[]
Mixes gathered up soil, stone rubble and quarried slag with high-grade ores, usually precious metals. Up to fifty percent of the bag will be impregnated with gold, silver, copper and others, although 10-25% is more common for each usage. Causes possessors of the bag and generated material to become lethargic, feeling the brunt of an endless day’s worth of excavation labor. Overpowering enough to cause fainting spells that leave one bedridden, often to the point they become unable to work from lack of stamina.