Abstract

GAVIRA MARQUEZ, María Concepción. Women and Mining in the Andes Azogueras [Quicksilver Workers] in Oruro and Potosí During the Late 18 ^th Century and Early 19th Century. Estud. hist. mod. contemp. Mex [online]. 2025, n.spe3, pp.23-49.  Epub May 13, 2025. ISSN 0185-2620.  https://doi.org/10.22201/iih.24485004e.2025.1e.77969.

This work aims to highlight a group of miner businesswomen who were not only owners but also operated and managed their business in different Andean plateau (nowadays Bolivia) mining centers, during the late 18th century and early 19th century. We address how they performed these activities and how they sometimes encountered obstacles and complications in mining, an activity considered exclusively for males by traditional historiography for this period. We focus in two miner centers (Oruro and Potosí) which had different conditions and particularities, and we address the azogueras [quicksilver workers] through significant case studies. We analyze the most suitable documentary sources for the study of the participation of women in the economy, as well as the mining legislative bodies. We pay special attention to the case of Potosí and the attempt to exclude women from mining businesses through the creation of a new mining code, which was not ultimately approved.

Keywords : azogueras; quicksilver; Oruro; Potosí; women, mining.

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