The Matildes Mine in El Beal

El Centro de interpretación de la Mina las Matildes, La Unión

The La Unión area has been exploited for its mineral wealth for more than 2000 years, feeding the growth of Cartagena and leaving a legacy of distinctive landscapes which sprawl across the municipality, hills and waterways, stained with the waste materials generated from washing and processing and gouged by open cast mining.

The Fundación Sierra Minera is dedicated to recovering and preserving the remnants of the area´s mining activity and has two fascinating mining operations open for the public to visit, the new Parque Minero and the Matildes Mine.

It´s perfectly possible to combine a visit to both in one day, particularly for groups coming in from outside the area, although local visitors may enjoy a gradual process of discovery, taking time to learn about the area and the processes involved.

La Unión also has a Mining Museum in the Casa del Piñon, the local town hall, which has an excellent audiovisual in English about the history of mining in the La Unión municipality.

The area, a brief history

The mountains of Cartagena rose from the sea about 20 million years ago, when  crashing between the plates of Africa and Europe caused the sediments which had been gathering on the bottom of the sea to rise and literally fold into layers, forming the mineral deposits for which the area was so extensively mined.

The minerals formed into several formations, basically layers, threads or wells of deposits which were mined using different techniques according to their formation.

There are a variety of minerals found in this area, extracted for different uses, the principal ones being lead, known as galena, from which silver is also extracted, pirita, pirite, and a material known as alumbre, (alum)which was highly valued as a colour fixative in fabric production as well as having a wide range of other uses including as a disinfectant, for medicinal and cosmetic treatments. 

For a full history of La Unión, Click History of La Unión

The Phoenicians.

The Phoenicians were great metallurgists, who traded and smelt metals although they are not thought to have carried out any mining activities themselves within Murcia. The Phoenician wreck, known as Bajo de la Campaña, which is currently under excavation in the waters off La Manga in San Javier, was carrying a heavy cargo of raw materials when it sank, ( around 600 BC) amongst which was a large quantity of galena (lead). This is believed to have been mined in other parts of Spain, although it is also possible that the Phoenicians traded lead mined in La Unión and the Sierra Minera.

For more information about the Phoenician wreck at Bajo de la Campaña and to find out who they were, click Phoenicians in Murcia

Carthaginian and Roman exploitation

By the mid 3rd century BC what is now Cartagena had been colonised by the Carthaginians, who began to exploit the area for lead and silver, minerals which were traded to finance the Punic wars in which they were engaged with Rome. In 209 BC, following the departure of Hannibal to attack Rome via the Alps, the Romans took Cartagena and an intense period of mining activity began.( For the history of Cartagena, Click Cartagena History.)

During the peak period of Roman mining activity, around 35,000 people, mainly slaves, worked in the Roman mines across the Sierra Minera, although some reports put the figure as high as 40,000, shipping out vast quantities of minerals for use across the Roman Empire. The writer Polibio claims that 300 pounds of silver a day were extracted from the mine at Cabezo Rajao alone.

The archaeological museum in Cartagena has a fine selection of Roman baskets and tools discovered in some of the Roman mines, together with lead ingots recovered from wrecks sunk off the Cartagena coastline, lead which would have come from these mines,

Click Museo Arquelógico Municipal, Cartagena

As the Roman presence declined, so did the activity in the mines and during the Arab occupation there was little mining activity, just a small amount taking place in the Middle Ages when the fulling of cloth was an important industry, requiring the alum which was mined in this area.

19th and 20th century

In 1839 mining fever broke out when the legendary "filón jaroso de Almagrera " was discovered and immigrant labour poured into the Sierra Minera seeking work.

Between 1842 and 1950 the area was mined extensively, using a system of "pozos" deep wells or shafts which plunged from 250 up to 500 metres deep in some cases, with galleries heading off from the central point. Around 2000 different exploitations are recorded across the Sierra Minera.

Settlements sprung up along the edge of the Sierra, El Llano, El Estrecho de san Ginés, Los Blancos, El Algar, and El Beal.

In 1860  a new municipality was created by the fusion of El Garbanzal, Herrerías, Roche and Portman, to become La Unión.

By the 1950´s new technology had lead to the development of open cast mining, and during the next 30 years vast areas of hillside were gouged and scarred as millions of tons of topsoil was stripped to expose the veins of minerals below.

Millions of tons of sediment was created by the washing of the minerals extracted, much of which poured down into Portman bay, creating one of the Mediterranean´s worst environmental disasters, the results of which are still the subject of argument and debate today.

The Matildes Mine

This is situated within the El Beal mining area, close to the mines of la Mina Blanca and la Mina San Quintin, an area in which intensive lead extraction took place between 1864 and 1871.

The concession for the Matildes mine was granted in 1871 and it was in operation until the end of the 19th century. By this point the mines in the area had begun to flood, and as the saturation of mines meant that it was not uncommon for mine workings to join, miners from one exploitation meeting others as they tunnelled along a vein, the mines joined together to create the Sindicato de Desagüe de El Beal, a system whereby some mines would dedicate themselves to the extraction of water so that others could continue working.

Matildes was fitted with an 8 metre long pump and dedicated herself to the extraction of water for the rest of her working life, finally falling into ruin once the mines were abandoned.

A visit to the Matildes Mine.

In the exhibition salon you´ll find an interesting selection of exhibits which show the history of the area and the extent of the mining activity undertaken here. Ask the guide to show you where the various points of extraction were and he´ll point out Portman Bay, the Roman mines, the open cast mines which gouge the hillsides above it and the full extent of the mining activity.

There is also an excellent photographic display showing the mines in operation and a great game for the children to try and identify some of the important landmarks which can be seen across the Sierra Minera.

If you enjoy walking and discovering, the Fundación Sierra Minera who manage this mine are able to organise half day excursions in the Sierra Minera for groups of 12 people upwards. They´re very reasonably priced, although they may be a little more if the foundation have to contract in an English speaking guide, but will happily arrange guided visits to the sites of mining interest for walkers, photographers or just the curious.

Moving out of the exhibition room, which was formerly the building which would have housed the steam equipment, the visitor moves outside to see the massive tower crouched above the mining shaft  plunging 250 metres down into the ground.

From there the visitor moves into the machinery room, with an upstairs and downstairs section showing the winding gear and tools which would have been used to work the pump.

It´s pretty impressive equipment and those of you with mechanical minds will be in their element, looking at not only the machinery, but also the pictures and diagrams showing how the whole system worked.

Outside is a large tank which would have held the water created by evaporation from the steam room.

There´s a really good little guide book available in English, French, German and Spanish for only 2 euros, which we´d strongly recommend you purchase, which also helps to fund the foundation which has restored and cared for this mine, and continues to work on other projects to try and conserve la Union´s mining heritage.

Leaving the building it´s difficult to appreciate just how much has been done to regenerate this area. All of the luxuriant growth around the building is artificially generated, on earth given new life by the foundation. About 100 metres from the mine, on the opposite side of the little rambla, is an area which has been left with sterile waste, an example of how the whole area used to look.

Sulphur can be smelt in the air, and the vivid colours of waste material are abundant on the ground. Just stand there for a minute and visualise, everything you can see from this viewpoint, for miles around, would have looked as barren as this small piece of land.

Would we recommend it?

Absolutely. It´s a humbling reminder of our past, and a real testament to the efforts of the foundation to recover their heritage.Take the time to look at the display boards, as all of the text has been translated into English via sheets which are located on the windowsills, ensuring foreign language visitors enjoy the visit as much as Spanish nationals.

Practicalities.

The Matildes Mine is located at El Beal, which is exit number 3 of the Cartagena to La Manga Autovia.

It is signposted for Llano del Beal, El Algar.

From the exit drive about 1km into El Beal, which is a small group of dwellings. Just after a bend there is a Villa on the right hand side called Villa Teresa, and a sign on the side pointing down to the mine. It´s very close to the corner so slow down as you approach the houses and be prepared to turn right very suddenly.

Drive down the track and carry on straight down, don´t turn off to the left and do what we did the first time we tried to find the mine, saw a tall tower sticking up on the left hand side and turned round, and drove to the tower. This is La Mina Blanca which still operates today pumping up water for irrigation. If you arrive there, turn around, get back onto the asphalt track and carry on straight, you´ll soon see the sign for the Matildes Mine.

Opening hours
During the spring of 2017 the mine is open every weekend from Thursday to Sunday 10am to 2pm.
At other times the mine will open for group of a minimum of 20 people or more by special arrangement only. The fundación can organise a joint visit for groups to the Parque Minero at La Unión as well as the Matildes mine at the same time.

Entry

General entry 3 euros

2 hour visit for groups 4 euros

Visit to the centre and half day route in the Sierra Minera 6 euros, minimum 20 people

There may be an additional fee to contract an English speaking guide.

Contact details

Telephone 968 54 03 44 or 628 073 482

lasmatildas@fundacionsierraminera.org

web: https://www.fundacionsierraminera.org/minamatilde/index.html

Another useful number is the tourist office in La Unión on 968 541 614 contact at turismo@ayto-launion.com

Disabled Visitors

The site is not easy for those with disability as although there was a ramp up to the main entrance, access to the engine room was via steps. Disabled visitors would be able to visit the main salon and outside without difficulties.