The history of the Mines of Rio Tinto is ancient dating back
to the first organised societies, the mine itself is linked in the Copper Age
to the Tartessians and Phoenicians, but in reality it was the Romans whom
developed mining in the zone, introducing new techniques which made possible
continuous mining work, even in the Almohade period it was possible to obtain
dyes for medicinal purpose although extractive mining was not well developed in
that period.
But it was not until the XVIII century that the corporate
exploitation that was undertaken. In 1873, a British consortium bought the mines to the state for 92 million
pesetas and founded “Rio Tinto Company Limited”, being the construction of the
railway line between Riotinto and Huelva, one of the most important evens for
the development of the locality.
It is of note the fact that because of the mineral
calcination on the opened air, named “teleras”, which emitted sulphuric
emanations, the first environmental protest took place that we have news of.
This event occurred on the 4th of February of 1888 coming to it thousands of
people from around the shire. The authorities ordered to open fire against the
protesters with more than 100 people killed.
Rio Tinto is a place of exceptional beauty, where it
colourful aspect is due to the different minerals there presents which renders
it in a very impressive way. All this together with the historical an
industrial background left behind makes it a must visit place for photography
where and endless possibilities to enjoy photography take place.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario