As I kept diving for more information of the mineral rock I felt like I needed something more. I wanted to find a person that had actually went to the mine in person and tell their personal experience. As I asked my family member, I was able to find out that my grandmother had personally visited the mine just a year ago. As soon as I heard this I quickly contacted her for a interview in which she accepted. As the interview proceeded I would learn that her ancestors were originally from this area.
Q: I have these minerals rocks that I had bought when you took to visit the city. Do you were these mineral rocks might of come from?
A: Actually yes I do remember it was two years ago. And those two mineral rocks that you bought were extracted from this mine called "La Valenciana". La Valenciana mine that was in operation when we visited and its the main one that has silver and quartz.
Q:What was your first reaction before you entered the mine?
A: When I first walked into the mine I felt excited but curious to see what it was like inside the mine. The entrance of the mine had these huge wooden doors that had these antique design carved onto it. The wall is just stone it liked more like a temple that a mine entrance. The wooden doors were twice my size I was very much excited to see the working conditions that these indigenous people had to work.
Q:How was in the inside of the mine when you entered?
A: When I entered with our tour guide he told to be careful when entering the mine because the stairs were steep and the pathways was just pure rock that was carved out the earth. I the beginning there were LED lights to help see better. But the deeper we entered the less light there was.
Q: Do you remember who was your guide?
Yes actually he was a former worker of the mine that actually was from a indigenous background. While we were walking through the passage ways he would explain how it felt to work inside the mines.
Q: How deep do you enter the mine?
A: The deepest that they would let the tourist into the mine for health reasons 60 meters. The depth of the mine is around 700 meters from what the tour guide told us.
Q: How did it feel to be at 60 meters underground?
A:Well at that depth you start to realize that it gets hard to breath and you start to breath rather deeply due the fact that there is a lack of ventilation.
Q: What type of minerals did you find inside the mine?
A: I saw many types of minerals mostly we say gold quartz, and silver. At one point the guide actually stopped and turned on his lighter and set below tis mineral which was black. He then told us that it was silver at its natural state.
Q: Why do you feel that this mine was so important?
That mine and the other found in that area were the reason why the city of Guanajuato was created. Even after it being flooded the Spanish still rebuilt it from the ground up do to the fact that there was so much minerals found in that region. It kind of like how when the Gold Rush occurred in the United States people started to move to California in search of of becoming wealthy.
Q:What was the deeper personal reason for you to want to actually visit this mine?
A: I don't think that I have ever told this to you but my ancestors originate from the city of Guanajuato. I learned that my Spanish roots actually originate from the capital city if Guanajuato. I very much feel ashamed of what my ancestors did to my other side which is indigenous. I felt that I needed to see this first hand the reason for the exploration of the original indigenous people.
Q:Before I finish my interview I have one more question. Would you ever go back and visit the mine?
A: Yes, I would there are still so many questions that I need to be answered. Now that I have been there once I feel that I could understand more of my history if I went again.. If you ever come and visit, I would like to take you to the mine so you could see it in person.
A: Actually yes I do remember it was two years ago. And those two mineral rocks that you bought were extracted from this mine called "La Valenciana". La Valenciana mine that was in operation when we visited and its the main one that has silver and quartz.
Q:What was your first reaction before you entered the mine?
A: When I first walked into the mine I felt excited but curious to see what it was like inside the mine. The entrance of the mine had these huge wooden doors that had these antique design carved onto it. The wall is just stone it liked more like a temple that a mine entrance. The wooden doors were twice my size I was very much excited to see the working conditions that these indigenous people had to work.
Q:How was in the inside of the mine when you entered?
A: When I entered with our tour guide he told to be careful when entering the mine because the stairs were steep and the pathways was just pure rock that was carved out the earth. I the beginning there were LED lights to help see better. But the deeper we entered the less light there was.
Q: Do you remember who was your guide?
Yes actually he was a former worker of the mine that actually was from a indigenous background. While we were walking through the passage ways he would explain how it felt to work inside the mines.
Q: How deep do you enter the mine?
A: The deepest that they would let the tourist into the mine for health reasons 60 meters. The depth of the mine is around 700 meters from what the tour guide told us.
Q: How did it feel to be at 60 meters underground?
A:Well at that depth you start to realize that it gets hard to breath and you start to breath rather deeply due the fact that there is a lack of ventilation.
Q: What type of minerals did you find inside the mine?
A: I saw many types of minerals mostly we say gold quartz, and silver. At one point the guide actually stopped and turned on his lighter and set below tis mineral which was black. He then told us that it was silver at its natural state.
Q: Why do you feel that this mine was so important?
That mine and the other found in that area were the reason why the city of Guanajuato was created. Even after it being flooded the Spanish still rebuilt it from the ground up do to the fact that there was so much minerals found in that region. It kind of like how when the Gold Rush occurred in the United States people started to move to California in search of of becoming wealthy.
Q:What was the deeper personal reason for you to want to actually visit this mine?
A: I don't think that I have ever told this to you but my ancestors originate from the city of Guanajuato. I learned that my Spanish roots actually originate from the capital city if Guanajuato. I very much feel ashamed of what my ancestors did to my other side which is indigenous. I felt that I needed to see this first hand the reason for the exploration of the original indigenous people.
Q:Before I finish my interview I have one more question. Would you ever go back and visit the mine?
A: Yes, I would there are still so many questions that I need to be answered. Now that I have been there once I feel that I could understand more of my history if I went again.. If you ever come and visit, I would like to take you to the mine so you could see it in person.
Martin Vargas Vazquez is currently a freshman at California State University Northridge. He is majoring in History, and is planning to become a Military Historian in the future.