Almadén

Almadén is a mining town built around one of the world's great deposits of cinnabar, the ore from which mercury is extracted. Its shafts, furnaces and workers' quarters reflect centuries of labour beneath the hills of La Mancha. From the sixteenth century mercury acquired particular value for the amalgamation of silver ores in Spanish America. Almadén supplied mines in New Spain, linking the workings of this inland town to the wealth and demands of the overseas empire.