If you are interested in spectacular industrial heritage, La Zarza Mine, north of Calañas, won’t disappoint!
Judging by the slag heaps left behind, these mines were first worked in ancient times (late Bronze Age) by the semi-mythical civilisation of Tartessos, and later by the Romans. However, it was the 19th-century mining boom that shaped the landscape we see today.
Key Dates for our Huelva Gazette:
- 1853: A concession was taken out by the French mining engineer Ernest Deligny, marking the start of the modern era.
- 1866: The Glasgow-based Tharsis Sulphur and Copper Company Ltd. took over the running of the mines.
- 1888: The railway line joining La Zarza to the main Tharsis mine was inaugurated, linking it to the wider world.
- 1891: The extensive cementation grounds (complex systems of water channels) were opened for operations.
Recommended for your visit:
- The mining village (there were around 10,000 people at the end of the 1880s).
- The open pit mine which has an extensive path around the mine.
- The remnant mining installations surrounding mining shaft 4
- The industrial remains around the Algaida zone, shaft 5
- The cementation grounds where the copper was recovered through precipitation with pig iron.
Firsthand information:
