ed, with its numerous
important mining centres, this State is held to be the foremost in
Mexico, and a large output of the precious metals is being made.

Lower California contains a great deal of resource in gold-quartz
lodes, and some important _placer_ deposits. This territory is one of
the richest mineral regions of North America.

The principal gold-producing States are Chihuahua, Sonora, Zacatecas,
Guerrero, Oaxaca, Mexico, Lower California, Hidalgo, Chiapas, Coahuila.
No less than eighteen of the States of Mexico contain gold-bearing
districts.

Hydraulic, or _placer_, mining for gold has not been much considered as
a source of supply, as there are no great alluvial deposits, so far
known, such as exist in other parts of North and South America.
Nevertheless, something has been done in this way, principally in the
States of Chihuahua and Guerrero. The geological formation, however,
does not point the probability of the existence of great alluvial
deposits, and the _placers_ take the form of river bars principally.

The rise of Mexico's gold-production has been rapid. The country now
holds sixth place. In 1893 its value was less than 4 per cent. of that
of the silver output, whilst in 1894 it jumped to 14 per cent., and in
1902, 20 per cent. The export of gold bullion in 1890 was only half a
million Mexican dollars, whilst in 1903 it had risen to 11-1/2
millions. The value of the total gold production for 1907 was 3-3/4
millions sterling.

Among other producing mines is the Providencia, of Guanajuato, yielding
gold, silver, and iron. Yet another is the "San Rafael and Anexas," a
regular dividend-payer, whose net profits for 1907 are given as
three-quarters of a million dollars. The famous region of Tlalpujahua
is once more receiving attention.

_Copper_.--The rise of Mexico as a copper-producing country has been
remarkable. Less than fifteen years ago the Republic was unheard of as
a source of the red metal, now it ranks second in the world's output,
coming next to the United States with a production for the year 1907 of
56,600 tons. The following States are those which are most important as
copper-bearing: Chihuahua, Sonora, Coahuila, Zacatecas, Jalisco,
Michoacan, Puebla, Queretaro, Tamaulipas, Lower California, and Colima.

In Sonora the following mines are at work: The Bufa Mining and Smelting
Company; the Trinidad Mining Company, upon which large sums of money
have been spent; the Montezuma Mine, an i