1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910812939603321

Autore

Robins Nicholas A. <1964->

Titolo

Mercury, mining, and empire : the human and ecological cost of colonial silver mining in the Andes / / Nicholas A. Robins

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Bloomington, : Indiana University Press, c2011

ISBN

1-283-23591-9

9786613235916

0-253-00538-8

Edizione

[1st ed.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (317 p.)

Disciplina

363.738/49

Soggetti

Silver mines and mining - Bolivia - Potosi (Dept.) - History

Silver mines and mining - Health aspects - Bolivia - Potosi (Dept.)

Silver mines and mining - Environmental aspects - Bolivia - Potosi (Dept.)

Mercury mines and mining - Peru - Huancavelica - History

Mercury mines and mining - Health aspects - Peru - Huancavelica

Mercury mines and mining - Environmental aspects - Peru - Huancavelica

Indians, Treatment of - Bolivia - Potosi (Dept.) - History

Indians, Treatment of - Peru - Huancavelica - History

Environmental degradation - Bolivia - Potosi (Dept.)

Environmental degradation - Peru - Huancavelica

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Amalgamating an empire -- Toxic travails : mining in Huancavelica -- Blood silver -- Connecting the drops : the wider human and environmental costs -- From corrosion to collapse : the destruction of native communities.

Sommario/riassunto

On the basis of an examination of the colonial mercury and silver production processes and related labor systems, Mercury, Mining, and Empire explores the effects of mercury pollution in colonial Huancavelica, Peru, and Potosí, in present-day Bolivia. The book presents a multifaceted and interwoven tale of what colonial



exploitation of indigenous peoples and resources left in its wake. It is a socio-ecological history that explores the toxic interrelationships between mercury and silver production, urban environments, and the people who lived and worked in them. Nicholas A. Robins tells the