MINES AND MINERS: METALS IN SEDIMENTS AND HUMAN REMAINS FROM SOUTHERN SIERRA GORDA, QUERETARO, MEXICO

Sierra Gorda's archaeology has a special charm and it is and academic challenge. This is the first region in Mexico where prehistoric underground mining was practiced in modern times. The study in this region of an ancient society, with a specialized economy oriented to cinnabar mining during prehispanic times, leads us to ask how the ancient people recognized the landscape and how they appropriated and used it. How did the Sierra Gorda inhabitants distribute their settlements and mines within their territory? Today we know that metallic mercury, mercury sulfides and other compounds linked to Hg are dangerous for the environment and can be persistent through time. Thus, we consider how economic specialization affected the environment and settlers in both the past and present time in Sierra Gorda.