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32-882: The El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve , created in 1988, is located in Mulegé Municipality in northern Baja California Sur , at the center of the Baja California Peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California . With an area of over 24,930 km (9,630 sq mi)), it is the largest wildlife refuge in Mexico and borders the northern edge of the Valle de los Cirios Protected Area of Flora and Fauna. Native groups first inhabited this region over eleven thousand years ago. They may have been nomads who came overland from

64-402: A historic open pit copper mine , as well as underground workings. Mining began in the 1860s, and continued, off and on, until the 1980s. The property is currently under development by a consortium of Korean companies led by Korea Resources Corporation. Preliminary underground mining began in 2012. The $ 1.75 Billion project is scheduled for completion in 2013. The discovery of the copper ore in

96-582: Is a range of clastic sedimentary rocks from siltstone to sandstones , with some claystone. They were deposited in the late Miocene in deltas and near-shore shallow marine basins. Resting unconformably above the El Boleo Formation are the Gloria, Infierno and Santa Rosalía Formations of the Pliocene and Pleistocene . In 2014, Hurricane Odile hit the shores of Baja California Sur. The Korean manager of

128-772: Is concentrated around the production of salt in Guerrero Negro (4.8 million tons), plaster in San Marcos Island (1.3 million ton) and copper in Santa Rosalía (11 thousand tons), and employs 21.6 % of the population. The fishing sector employs 10.6 % of the population. There were 19,329 tons of fish products in 2021, of which fish represented more than 62 % of the captures. Other products include lobsters , sharks , shellfish and octopus . There also processing centers of lobster , abalone , snail and mackerel . The tourism sector has been growing in

160-704: Is crossed by the Carretera Transpeninsular ( Mexican Federal Highway 1 ), which runs from Tijuana to Cabo San Lucas . Regional flights are available at the Palo Verde Airport in Santa Rosalía. 27°15′N 113°15′W  /  27.250°N 113.250°W  / 27.250; -113.250 El Boleo El Boleo is a copper-cobalt-zinc-manganese deposit located adjacent to the port city of Santa Rosalía, Baja California Sur in Mexico. It includes

192-622: Is fully permitted. However, the old metallurgical process used by previous operators is unfit for the recovery of these values. Small scale testing has established that a hydrometallurgical process can effectively recover all four metals, with competitive economics. The hydrometallurgical process , and the lack of fresh water at the site requires the construction of a desalination plant . Construction at Boleo re-commenced in November 2010. Construction cost overruns reported by Baja Mining Corp. (TSX: BAJ) in 2012 threatened to halt or delay construction of

224-515: Is located in Santa Rosalía . The El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve is located in the municipality, between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California. With a landmass of over 24,930 km (9,625 sq mi), it is the largest wildlife refuge in Mexico and borders on the northern edge of the Valle de los Cirios Protected Area of Flora and Fauna. Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo was the first explorer to navigate

256-570: The 2010 Project Financing, agreed to provide MMB with an approximately US$ 419 million loan facility for the construction and development of the Boleo project (the “Original US EXIM Facility”). The Original US EXIM Facility was terminated in late 2012 and KORES negotiated a new approximately US$ 419 million facility with US EXIM, to be used to finance further construction and development of the Boleo project. In January 2015, production started in El Boleo, after

288-491: The Canadian Baja Mining Corp fought hard to find investors to keep the project running. The industrial complex was delivered 18 months late, and the budget went off limit by $ 750 million. In 2017, the output of the site was much lower than predicted, which led the company to lower its future production expectations. The ore (mineralization) occurs in a strata bound form known as mantos in El Boleo Formation which

320-584: The Franciscans took over responsibility for colonial Baja California from the Jesuits. Rich copper deposits were discovered in 1868, later developed as mines. In 1872, Eiseman y Valle was incorporated as a business for the exploitation of copper. In 1885, the French mining company El Boleo began its operations and built the town of Santa Rosalía; the first copper smelting furnace was installed in 1886. The municipality

352-568: The Gulf of California side, which includes Santa Rosalía and Mulegé. As of March 1, 2021, the municipality reported 1,188 recoveries, 46 active cases, and 109 deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico . Including the municipal seat of Santa Rosalía, the municipality is subdivided into six delegaciones : There are four main economic sectors in Mulegé: agriculture, mining, livestock and tourism. Agriculture and livestock are principally concentrated in

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384-465: The area in the 16th century. Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo was the first explorer to navigate the coastlines, whereas Sebastián Vizcaíno explored inland, in what is now the biosphere reserve in 1596 on behalf of Gaspar de Zúñiga , viceroy of New Spain . Animals that have adapted to these extreme conditions include a variety of nocturnals such as coyotes , rodents , and hares ; others have adapted to only ingesting water from succulents. Outstanding among

416-439: The area of Vizcaíno Valley and employs 36% of the population. There were 2,987.7 ha of crop land in the municipality. The main crops are tomatoes , chili peppers , onions , cucumbers , strawberries and figs . The meat production comes principally from cattle (697.8 tons), pigs (117.6 tons), goats (14.9 tons) and sheep (11 tons). There is also a significant production of milk from goats and cows. The mining sector

448-610: The coastline of Mulegé, whereas Sebastián Vizcaíno explored the inlands in 1596 on behalf of Gaspar de Zúñiga , viceroy of New Spain . The first Spanish missionary to visit the area was Father Juan María de Salvatierra in 1705. Three years later, the Jesuit missionary Juan de Basaldúa founded the Santa Rosalía de Mulegé mission in the area locally known as Caaman Cagaleja, which means "river between two rocks." Other important Jesuit missions in Mulegé were San Ignacio and Guadalupe . In 1768,

480-456: The complex metallurgy, no attempt was made to extract the cobalt, zinc, and manganese. The company created an artificial harbour from the slag of the smelter, which still endures almost unchanged to the present day. At the end of the 19th century, El Boleo was known as the Mexican capital of copper, producing 11,000 tonnes of pure copper annually, about half of Mexico's total copper production. In

512-452: The early 20th century, the company was renowned for using technology considered to be state-of-the-art for ore processing and refining. The powerhouse, by L'usine électrique, was considered the most advanced electrical system of its time in Mexico. Not surprisingly, it worked well until the 1970s, when it was finally shut down. The French community also established a hospital to treat the mine's workers. The Greek doctor Diamant Hadji-Mihaloglou

544-416: The economic collapse of the town. It operated, continually at a loss, using the same (rather archaic) equipment and processes until 1984, when it definitively closed. In 1992, renewed interest by Canadian investors led to the establishment of a new mining claim. Subsequent exploration established that vast amounts of copper ore, as well as commercial quantities of cobalt, zinc, and manganese still existed on

576-416: The largest of which (with 2020 populations in parentheses) were: Santa Rosalía (14,357 hab.), Guerrero Negro (13,596 hab.), Villa Alberto Andrés Alvarado Arámburo (10,897 hab.), Mulegé (3,834 hab.), Bahía Tortugas (2,367 hab.), classified as urban; and San Francisco (1,919 hab.), Bahía Asunción (1,453 hab.), Las Margaritas (1,145 hab.), and Estero de la Bocana (1,013 hab.), classified as rural. Mulegé

608-535: The last years. The municipality is home of two jesuit missions of the XVII century in Mulegé and San Ignacio , these two towns also have oasis, which are a popular sightview in the desert. Santa Rosalía it's another spot, famous for being an historical mining town and their many buildings in french architectural style. Ecotourism revolves around whale watching of gray whales at San Ignacio Lagoon and Guerrero Negro during

640-652: The mammals is the Baja California pronghorn (an endemic subspecies of the pronghorn ); the last populations of this subspecies can be found in the region. The Vizcaíno is also the habitat of the desert bighorn sheep , mule deer , and dozens of resident and migratory birds . Of special importance: the ospreys , cormorants , herons , and gulls —and four species of sea turtles . On the coastline and islets there are many marine mammals, such as northern elephant seals , California sea lions , dolphins , and gray whales . Muleg%C3%A9 Municipality The municipal seat

672-489: The mine. It has been reported that many died of illness or accidents associated with the poor working conditions. As the ore was extremely rich, (apparently a complex mixture of oxides and sulfides of up to 15% Cu) it could be fed directly to the smelter without pre-processing other than crushing. There were 7 relatively small reverberatory furnaces in the smelter and, in the 1930s, a pair of Peirce-Smith converters were added to produce blister copper (98% copper). Due to

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704-518: The months of December to April. Mulegé also has many popular beaches, many of which are nearby Mulegé town. Mulegé also contains the most famous rock art sites in Baja California Sur and Mexico. The best known sites are located at Sierra de San Francisco , although many of them requires trips by mule of 3-5 days. There are minor sites at Sierra de Guadalupe , nearby Mulegé , which can be reached by car. The municipality has 381 localities,

736-569: The north of the American continent , or they may have been marine-oriented groups using boats to follow the coastline. At the dawn of the historic period, their successors were the Cochimi , foragers who exploited the natural resources of the coast, the inland plains, and the Sierra de San Francisco . Travelers trekking into this mountainous region can still see the natives' cave art . Spanish explorers arrived in

768-607: The project. An agreement was reached in July 2012, transferring majority ownership interest and control of the project to the Korean consortium, in return for funding the reported cost overruns. The Korean consortium led by Korea Resources Corporation (“KORES”), a state owned resources enterprise of the Republic of Korea, held a 73.8% of the ownership interest in Minera y Metallurgica del Boleo ("MMB") at

800-452: The property and began mining, after receiving an extensive concession and 70-year tax exemption granted by Mexican president Porfirio Diaz . Diaz apparently hoped that the mine would create a development zone in the arid and unpopulated region. 1885 is also considered the official date of the town's foundation. The extraction of ore from the mines was labour-intensive. Chinese, Japanese, Yaqui Indians and Mestizos were brought in to work in

832-428: The region is historically credited to a rancher named José Rosas Villavicencio in 1868. Minor mining activities were carried out on site by Mexican and German operators until 1885. But the small scale of the operation and the desolate location made the enterprise only marginally economic. El Boleo was first operated, on a large commercial scale, in 1885 by the French company Compagnie du Boleo which obtained control of

864-531: The site, MMB has been working closely on updating the geological model and mine design in cooperation with SRK and AAI. With respect to the project financing, a portion of MMB’s 2010 project financing facilities (the “2010 Project Financing”) provided by the Export‐Import Bank of the United States (“US EXIM”) to MMB was renegotiated under Korean leadership. In September 2010, US EXIM, the largest lender in

896-473: The site. Over a fifteen year period, two test mining programs, two process pilot campaigns, and a +38,000 metre in-fill drill program were carried out, culminating in a Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS). The DFS was completed in 2007 by the current lease holder - Minera y Metallurgica del Boleo - and followed by a Technical Report update issued in March 2010. Boleo is expected to yield copper-cobalt-zinc-manganese and

928-579: The time. Since obtaining control of MMB, CEO of KORES, Dr. Jung-Sik Koh, has reorganized its operational structure and dispatched mineral prospecting, grade control, mining, hydrometallurgy, and construction specialists to normalize operations at the project. With respect to construction of the project, a team of Korean construction monitoring team, led by KORES appointed COO at MMB, has been carrying out site construction supervision, inspection and expediting EPCM work since November 2012. Additionally, to optimize mining efficiency and secure additional tonnage at

960-467: Was briefly in charge of the medical services at the hospital; he then returned to France. The French company operated until 1954, when the tax exemption expired. The project then went bankrupt and the mine was shut down. After 1954, the Mexican government through its Mining bureau (Namely the Comisión de Fomento Minero ) reopened the works under the name of CMSRSA (Compañía Minera Santa Rosalía) to prevent

992-488: Was first incorporated in 1916 as part of the Baja California Territory , Southern District. In 1929, the municipal council was replaced by a municipal delegation. By 1954, the mining company "El Boleo" ceased operations, which resulted in many people moving to other parts of the country, but three years later, Fomento Minero decided to take over the company and restarted the copper exploitation work. Guerrero Negro

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1024-495: Was founded in 1957 on the Pacific Coast to supply the demand of salt in the western United States. When Baja California Sur became a state in 1972, the municipality of Mulegé was formally established. There is an initiative to split the municipality into two, with the division along the ridge dividing the current municipality. The Pacific side, with Guerrero Negro and Villa Alberto Andrés Alvarado Arámburo would be separated from

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