The Buitrón Mines, situated between Valverde del Camino and Zalamea la Real, were originally exploited in Roman times. However, they are historically significant as one of the first sites to be worked using foreign capital and expertise.
Manuel Ardois del Castillo registered the mines in 1853, and by 1862 they were sold to the South Europe Mining Co., Ltd. In 1866, the newly formed Buitrón & Huelva Railway and Mineral Co. Ltd. rented the site under the management of mining engineer James Bull. Known locally as ‘Don Diego,’ Bull was incidentally only 23 years old when he took charge.
Recommended for your visit While the open-cast mine is on private property and cannot be entered without permission, it is clearly visible from the public path leading from the village of Buitrón. This path follows the route of the old railway line to San Juan del Puerto. Completed on September 1st, 1870, this line was the first railway in Andalucía and only the third in all of Spain.
A highlight of the visit is the Puente de los Caladeros, a 62.5-metre-long and 17-metre-high iron bridge (shown in the photos above). You can access it freely by following the rock-cut railway trenches. Just across the stream (Arroyo de los Caladeros) lie the old cementation grounds—where copper was precipitated using pig iron— and the ruins of the mining installations.
Firsthand information:
- 1863 Annual Meeting Report for the South Europe Mining Co., Ltd.
- Murder of an Englishman at Buitrón Railway terminus at San Juan del Puerto
- Newcastle Journal – Monday 15 April, 1867 – reporting on the commencement of the railway line
