| Show Tear Tear Up Streets of San Luis Potosi for Silver Citizens Citizen Excited by Metal Metals Return to Favor Washington Slivers Sliver's Silvers Silver's return to popularity pop lOp In the Hie United States Stales has hRS caused great excitement In San Luis Potosi Mexico 1 The Tho city Is built on tailings calling and refuse e from hy mines and now thrifty citizen citizens are t eagerly rippin rip rip- pun pin pinup up their streets for the silver In Inthe inthe the pavement Sun San Luis Luls Potosi Is fa the tho capital of e e. estate state of the same name situated north of ot Mexico l 1 1 F 11 F. F Mexico City City City- SO says ay a IL bulletin from the National Geographic Geo Geo- graphic society It Is Ie built on a high plateau over a mile above se sea larel Th The rough peaks of ot the Sierra Madre protect It on tl three re sides Ides and the ell ell- male 1111 1 Is cool and dry but never neer too cold colli Boomed Doomed Deserted Revived When hon Cortes Coates and his men first firt pushed their way westward San Lute Luis lOI 1 was an Insignificant Indian vII vil lage Inge Lured bythe by the promised wealth of Jr the he famous Z Zacatecas mines beyond be be- beyond yond the Spaniards paid laid the the- village scant attention as 8 they passed pained In ed through Soon oon after arter en camo mo Franciscan monks the mission of ot San Luis was founded and silver and gold were discovered In the tIt San Pedro hills In the th hope that the town might rival Its famous In Bolivia It was christened I. I This optimism was not unfounded The mines mints were rich but poorly worked worked In 1022 the largest mine caved In San Luis Potosi became a e deserted mining camp until years year later when new mines mine were opened Many fany of or the city's city churches and public buildIngs buildings build build- ings date from this Seventeenth century century cen cen- tury era of ot prosperity The original village was In the San Pedro ledro hills hUll twelve miles mile front from the modern city Lack of water caused It to move Evidently the water supply supply supply sup sup- ply now Is II satisfactory for It has the reputation of being one of ot the clean clean- et it t cities in Mexico Above Its spotless spot spot- lose less streets rise the domes of ot its many churches churche whoso whose bright blue white green reen and yellow ellow tiles gleam In tho the sunlight Source of Spanish Sliver Silver San Luis Potosi has had little complaint com corn plaint from Its it business men It Is II the distributing center for tor a n large agricultural agricultural agri agri- agricultural cultural region and lies III's at the crossroads crossroads cross cross- roads rood of ot Mexican traffic In the old days das long mule trains bound north o or west met there Now two rall rays rail ays I the Ule Mexican Central and the Mexican I Northern cross at this point It also Is le a favorite resort for tor the people of Mexico D D. D F. F and will soon be accessible ac ae- to motorists from the United States Slate A road rood now being improved d extends extend northeast to Brownsville Texas and at lit Ciudad Victoria crosses crosse the new Pan Can American highway from Laredo to Mexico D. D F F. Silver Sliver long hn hns been on one of ot the states state's chief sources urcu of tit wealth It boasts bouts of ot hating having once ranked third In Inthe Inthe inthe the production of bullion for Spain In those days silver mining was as a laborious process The ore are was taken from deep depp shafts In leather sinks sacks weighing when Oiled from to pounds The peons carried the sacks on their backs bach with around their foreheads as they scrambled up notched poles loles that served for ladders Flooded mines mintS were often orten pumped out In the same way Usually ore oro was broken up by hand hanl and mixed with water salt MIt vitriol and mercury Then mules were driven over oer and ond across It for tor hour hourd to com corn complete the mixing mix In process Iro When the mixture was submerged In water the amalgam of ot sliver and ond mercury sank sonk to the bottom and could be easily sep sep- separated This wits was known as 81 the patio process and Is still used In certain small mall mine mines In earlier and less les humane hu hu- mane mallo das daja women and children Instead instead In in- stead of mules trampled and mixed the ore although th the tile death rate was atrocious due to the corrosive effect of the acids used |
