The Dominion - Mexico

T10

dawn — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:31:13 +0000

A sign in the village reads: "400 YEARS OF GLORY IN POTOSI, MSX GET OUT OF HERE," commemorating the long history of the village and demanding the withdrawal of the company.

According to a report written by the Coordinating Committee of the Public Referendum on Cerro de San Pedro/San Xavier, residents voted 97-99 per cent against the mining project in Cerro de San Pedro in a statewide public referendum held in October 2006. The project moved ahead anyway.

T9

dawn — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:29:43 +0000

The FAO, which now has a sister organization, FAO-Montreal, is undertaking a popular education campaign to raise awareness of the situation in Cerro de San Pedro and of the role of Canadian mining companies in Mexico. The history of Mexico is one of colonizing forces seeking to extract mineral riches from under Indigenous and Mexican soil. Anti-mining activists argue that this latest wave of extraction, carried out by Canadian mining companies, continues the same colonial pattern.

T8

dawn — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:27:43 +0000

The dust storms, resulting from explosions, the collapsing of the mountain, and constant heavy truck traffic are part of the mine's ecological impact. Residents of the nearby town La Zapatilla, many of whom are employed at the mine, are also affected by the dust, which often covers the entire village.

T7

dawn — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:26:04 +0000

Don Armando, a resident of Cerro de San Pedro, has been at the forefront of the resistance movement. He lives with the impact of the open pit mine on a daily basis: the breakdown of the village's architectural structures, the noise generated by the extraction, and the air pollution from vast dust storms.

T6

dawn — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:24:26 +0000

The FAO has been waging a legal and political battle against the company with the aim of shutting down the mine, which they claim is operating without proper permits.

T5

dawn — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:20:55 +0000

According to company documents, the mine has reserves of 1.5 million ounces of gold and 62 million ounces of silver. Gold occurs in the ore at a rate of 0.55 grams per tonne.

T5

dawn — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:20:16 +0000

According to company documents, the mine has reserves of 1.5 million ounces of gold and 62 million ounces of silver. Gold occurs in the ore at a rate of 0.55 grams per tonne.

T4

dawn — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:05:22 +0000

According to Motilla, the mountain is being collapsed by implosions. Gold and silver are then extracted from the crushed rock using a technique known as cyanide heap leaching. Heap leaching at the Cerro de San Pedro mine requires an estimated 32 million litres of water daily. Juan Carlos Ruiz, an FAO organizer, is concerned that the mine is polluting an aquifer that supplies much of San Luis Potosi's drinking water.

T3

dawn — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:03:32 +0000

The open pit gold mine is now owned by New Gold Inc, whose head office is in Vancouver, British Columbia. Until a June 2008 merger, the mine was owned by Metallica Resources, and before that by Glamis Gold, both Canadian corporations. The village of Cerro de San Pedro stands at the foot of the mine.

T2

dawn — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:57:53 +0000

Cerro de San Pedro is a historical centre. Spaniards settled in the area in 1592, which led to the establishment of the City of San Luis Potosi and the founding of the state of the same name. Known for its wealth in ore, as well as for its historical and natural significance, the village of Cerro de San Pedro was short-listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

T1

dawn — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:47:07 +0000