La Revancha mine
{{Short description|Baryte in Mexico}}
{{Infobox mine
|name=Ampliación La Revancha
|location=|place=San Ramón village, Chicomuselo
|state/province=Chiapas
|country=Mexico
|pushpin_map=Mexico#Mexico Chiapas
|pushpin_label=La Revancha mine
|official_name=
|coordinates={{coord|15.78|-92.81|region:Mexico|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|subdivision_type=State
|products= Baryte
|type=|discovery year=
|active years=
|owner=Blackfire Exploration
|official website=|acquisition year=2006|module=}}
La Revancha mine, full name Ampliación La Revancha{{Cite web |last=Marshal |first=Angels |date=20 October 2010 |title=La Jornada: Mina de barita en Chiapas seguirá cerrada hasta que cumpla normas |url=https://www.jornada.com.mx/2010/10/20/estados/034n2est |access-date=2023-06-13 |website=La Jornada |language=es-MX}} and often known as the Chicomuselo baryte mine is a baryte mine, located in Chicomuselo, in Chiapas, Mexico.
The mine located in North Americas largest baryte reserves.
The mine opened in 2007, and was met with opposition from the local community, led by activist Mariano Abarca, who was assassinated in 2009. The mine was closed shortly after the assassination, briefly opened after a court appeal and then closed in 2010, after federal court appeal. In 2023, activists reported that the mine reopened.
The mine is owned by Blackfire Exploration.
Description
File:Barite Crushing & Jig Plant.png
The mine is located on North America's largest baryte deposit,{{Cite web |date=2019-03-24 |title=Opinion {{!}} Murder of Mexican mining protester throws spotlight on role of Canada’s embassies |url=https://www.thestar.com/business/opinion/2019/03/24/osgoode-hall-professor-will-argue-canada-should-investigate-assassination-of-mexican-activist.html |access-date=2023-06-13 |website=thestar.com |language=en |archive-date=2022-02-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220208124244/https://www.thestar.com/business/opinion/2019/03/24/osgoode-hall-professor-will-argue-canada-should-investigate-assassination-of-mexican-activist.html |url-status=live }} located on a hill in the San Ramón village near Chicomuselo, Chiapas, Mexico.{{Cite web |last=Katarina |first=Sabados |date=3 September 2019 |title=Mining, Murder, and Impunity |url=https://www.occrp.org/en/blog/10603-mining-murder-and-impunity |access-date=2023-06-13 |website=Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project |language=en-GB |archive-date=2023-04-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421033320/https://www.occrp.org/en///blog/10603-mining-murder-and-impunity |url-status=live }} It is owned by Canadian company Blackfire Exploration.{{Cite news |date=2021-11-08 |title=Slain Mexican activist Mariano Abarca’s supporters contest federal watchdog’s refusal to probe case |language=en-CA |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-slain-mexican-activist-mariano-abarcas-supporters-contest-federal/ |access-date=2023-06-13 |archive-date=2021-11-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110144137/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-slain-mexican-activist-mariano-abarcas-supporters-contest-federal/ |url-status=live }}
History
The deposit that the mine is on has been used to mine gold, copper and platinum for decades, before being operated by Caracol Mining Company from 2003 until 2006 to mine antimony and baryte.{{Cite web |date=16 August 2005 |title=La extracción de minerales, sujeta a usos y costumbres en Chicomuselo - La Jornada |url=https://www.jornada.com.mx/2005/08/16/index.php?section=sociedad&article=049n1soc |access-date=2023-06-13 |website=La Jornada |archive-date=2020-08-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814030642/https://www.jornada.com.mx/2005/08/16/index.php?section=sociedad&article=049n1soc |url-status=live }}
Caracol Mining Company sold their assets to Blackfire Exploration Mexico, operated by brothers Brad and Brent Willis from Calgary. After their obtained permission to operate the mine, they named it La Revancha (English payback or revenge) and opened the mine in 2007. The opening of the mine was supported by some local community and met with opposition from others, including Román López Ramírez the president of the Grecia ejido.{{Cite web |last=Henríquez |first=Elio |date=5 May 2008 |title=La barita, otro tesoro que no ha dejado beneficios para pobladores de Chiapas - La Jornada |url=https://www.jornada.com.mx/2008/05/05/index.php?section=estados&article=033n1est |access-date=2023-06-13 |website=La Jornada |archive-date=2021-09-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918041940/https://www.jornada.com.mx/2008/05/05/index.php?section=estados&article=033n1est |url-status=live }} Ramírez accused the Government of Canada of pressuring Mexican authorities into providing social assistance to the community to appease them about the mine.
Community members blocked the road the project as part of protests against the mine. Protests were led by activist Mariano Abarca, who was threatened and beaten and assassinated in November 2009.{{Cite news |date=7 June 2023 |title=Supporters of slain Mexican mining activist take case against Canada to international body |work=CBC |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canada-mexico-mining-mariano-abarca-1.6868459 |access-date=13 June 2023 |archive-date=8 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230608141027/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canada-mexico-mining-mariano-abarca-1.6868459 |url-status=live }} Abarca had previously been assaulted by Blackfire Exploration staff.{{Cite web |last=Pskowski |first=Martha |date=2019-12-31 |title=Latin American environmentalists face looming threats of violence |url=https://www.nationalobserver.com/2019/12/31/opinion/latin-american-environmentalists-face-looming-threats-violence |access-date=2023-06-13 |website=Canada's National Observer |language=en |archive-date=2022-08-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819230420/https://www.nationalobserver.com/2019/12/31/opinion/latin-american-environmentalists-face-looming-threats-violence |url-status=live }}
The mine was forcibly closed by Mexican authorities on December 7, 2009 after it failed to meet environmental laws. Owners appealed, and a district judge reversed the closure in April 2010. After an appeal from the Chiapas Ministry of Environment, Housing and Natural History,{{Cite web |date=19 October 2010 |title=Firma canadiense acepta cierre temporal de mina en Chiapas |url=https://www.proceso.com.mx/nacional/estados/2010/10/19/firma-canadiense-acepta-cierre-temporal-de-mina-en-chiapas-2835.html |access-date=2023-06-13 |website=Proceso |language=spanish |archive-date=2022-05-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522120455/https://www.proceso.com.mx/nacional/estados/2010/10/19/firma-canadiense-acepta-cierre-temporal-de-mina-en-chiapas-2835.html |url-status=live }} the federal judiciary to reverse that decision, closing the mine again in October 2010.
In 2011, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police raided Blackfire Exploration's offices while investigating the payment of a bribe to a Chiapas state mayor. Three staff were arrested during the raid.{{Cite web |date=31 August 2011 |title=Investigation exposes Canadian mining industry bribing in Mexico |url=https://en.mercopress.com/2011/08/31/investigation-exposes-canadian-mining-industry-bribing-in-mexico |access-date=2023-06-13 |website=MercoPress |language=en |archive-date=2022-04-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220406075235/https://en.mercopress.com/2011/08/31/investigation-exposes-canadian-mining-industry-bribing-in-mexico |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |date=18 May 2018 |title=Environmentalists taking federal watchdog to court over diplomats' actions in Mexican mining dispute |pages= |work=CBC |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/environment-mining-watch-public-sector-watchdog-1.4668057 |access-date=13 June 2023 |archive-date=17 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117035154/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/environment-mining-watch-public-sector-watchdog-1.4668057 |url-status=live }}
In January 2023, Avispa Mídia reported that mining activity resumed.{{Cite web |last=Pinto |first=Ñaní |date=2023-01-10 |title=Chiapas: Denuncian reactivación de mina en Chicomuselo bajo hostigamiento y sin permiso ambiental |url=https://avispa.org/chiapas-denuncian-reactivacion-de-mina-en-chicomuselo-bajo-hostigamiento-y-sin-permiso-ambiental/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110205517/https://avispa.org/chiapas-denuncian-reactivacion-de-mina-en-chicomuselo-bajo-hostigamiento-y-sin-permiso-ambiental/ |archive-date=2023-01-10 |access-date=2023-06-13 |website=Avispa Mídia |language=es-MX}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- Jennifer Moore and Gillian Colgrove, [https://miningwatch.ca/sites/default/files/blackfire_embassy_report-web.pdf Corruption, Murder and Canadian Mining in Mexico: The Case of Blackfire Exploration and the Canadian Embassy] Mining Watch Canada
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{{Mining in Mexico}}
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