Huancavelica 1563–1824: History and Historiography

The colonial mines of Huancavelica in central Peru boasted unique status, as the sole significant colonial American source of mercury, the main catalyst in the production of silver. This importance notwithstanding, Huancavelica remains relatively little known, in part because its historiography lies widely dispersed among journals and edited collections. This article seeks to facilitate further research by reviewing all significant existing work on the mines (more than eighty publications in total). In doing so, it provides a new guide to the history of Huancavelica, designed primarily to highlight major areas still requiring the attention of scholars.