Mexico offers mineral diversity

Mexico has the oldest post-Columbian mining tradition in the Western Hemisphere, beginning with the establishment of the first iron foundry in the state of Veracruz in 1519.

Historically, silver has been the most important non-fuel mineral, starting with early discoveries in Taxco in the state of Guerrero, Sultepec in the state of Mexico, and Pachuca in the state of Hidalgo.

Mexico’s mineral sector, always important to the economy, has matured and become diverse. In recent years, Mexico has ranked as one of the most important world mineral producers in all categories: metals, industrial minerals and mineral fuels.

At present, Mexico is a significant producer of at least 19 non-fuel mineral commodities and is the world’s leading producer of silver and celestite (strontium ore).

In the Western hemisphere, Mexico ranks first in the production of arsenic, bismuth, fluorspar, graphite, mercury and sodium sulphate. However, Mexico’s most important mineral product is petroleum.

Although Mexico continues to be the world’s leading producer of silver, and silver is one of the most important non-fuel minerals to the Mexican economy, recently copper and zinc have surpassed silver in importance in terms of value. The value of copper production in 1991 was US$681 million. The production value of zinc and silver in 1991 was US$338 million and US$287 million, respectively.

In addition, in terms of output, Mexico is an important world producer of antimony, barite, cadmium, gypsum, lead, lime, molybdenum, ammonia, salt, selenium, sodium carbonate and sulphur.

The U.S. is Mexico’s leading trading partner, while Mexico is the U.S.’ third leading trading partner. Accordingly, Mexico and the U.S. depend heavily on each other as suppliers of mineral commodities.

In recent years, about two-thirds of Mexico’s non-fuel mineral exports have gone to the U.S. Mexico imports about the same fraction of its mineral requirements from the U.S. In 1990, total Mexican export value of the mining/metallurgical sector was US$1.5 billion.

The U.S. relies on imports for more than 50% of its requirements of arsenic, graphite, celestite, fluorspar, antimony and cadmium, and Mexico is one of the main U.S. suppliers of those minerals. In addition, Mexico is one of the most important sources of U.S. imports of gypsum, zinc, sulphur, sodium sulphate and lead.

Mexico, although self-reliant in most minerals, imports all of its requirements of bauxite and alumina, beryllium, cobalt, chromium, magnesium, nickel palladium, platinum, titanium and vanadium. It also imports most of its important requirements of tin.

In the industrial minerals sector, Mexico relies on imports of potash and phosphate rock for its fertilizer industry, and also some specialty clays. With the exception of phosphate rock, Mexico imports most of these minerals from the U.S. Mexico also imports all its requirements of asbestos. More than 50% of Mexico’s crude petroleum is exported to the U.S.

— Excerpted from an article, written by Ivette Torres of the U.S. Bureau of Mines, which appeared in a recent issue of AMC Journal.