Aguascalientes fire agate miner news and information blog, updated direct from the mines in Calvillo.

Agosto 2008
At 2am this morning the soldiers came and evacuated the residents of low lying Calvillo, the rains are still coming hard and the dam is overflowing! Our miner amigos, just last week went up into the mines one day and when they returned they were stopped by a raging river that cut across the mountain trail - one miner said surprisingly, "the new river was full of fish, there hasn't been any flooding and never been any fish in the rivers here in the last 40 years!??" So with what few stones they were able to wade across with is time, is probably all there will be for awhile - the mines are again innundated with water and collapsing.

If there is a positive side to this, the miners did catch alot of fish for their families, which is a refreshing addition to the nopales (cactus), beans and rice. Please say a prayer for the miners of Calvillo and only buy fire agate that is truly from the miners - not the sharks and thieves that are taking advantage of the current situation and literally stealing from these amazing humble people.

Julio 2008
The rains are back! A couple mines that were in the process of being cleaned out have now filled with water. The Chispaso mine now is an 8 meter deep swimming pool of mud. It has been a tough year for the miners, they need the rains to assure the town of water throughout the year because the state of Aguascalientes is always on drought alert. But, it financially hurts the livelyhood of the miners and their families as well.

Junio 2008
Over the past couple of months the Negrita, La Joya (La Trinidad) and the Las Armarillas mines have become accessible as the miners dig through the dried mud to try and get back to business. A new vein has opened up in the Negrita mine that is producing small, yet very high quality multicolored fire agate nodes. Our miner says you cannot see the fire until you crack them open and they are alot harder to crack than any other agates he has come across - he recommends that only extremely experienced lapidarists try these new agates. We currently have some of the new batches of rough available for sale on our fire agate website - remember, half of all fire agate purchases go directly to the miners and their families, as has been our agreement from day one in negotiating with our miner amigos for the best rough available on the mountain.

Febrero 2008
Things have been tough for the miners these past few months... devastating rains have collapsed and damaged all of the mines. The final storms were last September, but there has been no access or mining going on since. Most mines are either now filled with dried mud, or have tons of rocks and boulders blocking the entrances. Heavy equipment is going to be needed to open a few mines this year (hopefully by this summer). Some mines could take years to get back to the depths of agate that were being mined prior to July 2007.

Alot of miners have started new businesses while waiting for the government to help fund the miners in 2008. Some of Calvillo's best polishers are currently growing guayaba fruit (Calvillo's number one export) or nopali cactus, rough lots of fire agate and polished cabochons are scarce! Some miners still have small personal stashes from before the rains, but are hesitant to part with them until the prospects in the Sierras start to look better again.

Junio 2007
After two days of torrential rains in the Sierra Mountains above and around Calvillo, the entrance to one of the major mines has collapsed. 'La Trinidad' is no longer accessible, a mudslide above the mine entrance has totally covered the area in deep mud and rock. It may be a few months before it is safe to make a new opening, the miners want to make sure the walls are stable first so they don't possibly lose the entire mine.

Mayo 2007
Waiting to get the machine back, venturing to some of the higher up mines in the Sierras, the rains washed away part of some mine floors and erroded the mouth of another, found some good multicolored and purple gems, a good week.

Abril 2007
Finally dry enough to dig, dug 12 feet into the mine floor at 'Armarillo' - some amazing stones! The best we have seen in a year and a half, everybody is excited.

Febrero 2007
Been raining heavy for 2 weeks... the digger is stuck at the mine - too dangerous to go up, some mines are flooded, a couple are about to collapse.

Febrero 2007
Finally received the digger from the government, we have one week before they move the machine for another group of mineros to use.

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