Mining companies race to reopen old Mexico mines, hitting ancient towns as metal prices soar

The past of this old mining town is again reverberating through its narrow stone-paved streets, as global mining interests blast away with dynamite the mineral-rich mountain that has loomed above the town for centuries. Plumes of dust arise from explosions just a few dozen yards away from the old domed church in the main square of San Pedro, founded in 1592 in central Mexico. Residents say the force of the blasts reverberates through the old stone walls, destroying their hopes of reviving the town and its ancient mine tunnels through tourism. Armando Mendoza wakes every morning to see enormous trucks and bulldozers scrape the mountain a little bit lower. "It's always on top of you. You see how the destruction is progressing, minute by minute," said Mendoza, 64, who runs a small museum of artifacts illustrating the town's... [read full story]