The Cananea Consolidated Copper Company , one of the world’s largest open pit copper mines is run by Grupo Mexico. Cananea is often referred to as, " the cradle of the Mexican Revolution." It is known as such due to the uprising there in 1906. There has been non-stop militant labor activism since then. The powerful miners union has been on strike since July of 2007. The mine’s reputation as a source of social injustices, including the displacement of residents, the exploitation and endangerment of miners, and political repression. The overuse and contamination of water in the copper extraction is another destructive, though perhaps less obvious, effect of the mine.
The copper mining and refining is known to be a water intensive process therefore when the mine draws water from the nearby Sonora and San Pedro aquifers and rivers it is using at least 18 million cubic meters of water per year causing a critical decrease in water flow which is is endangering the very existence of the city, Hermosillo. Farmers who use the water for their crops are now having to compete for the water resources with the mine.
By: Heidi Nunez
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