Volume One of Then, There Were Mines examines the History, Science and Technology that shaped the Sierra Almagrera's mining heritage.
- A look at the geography and geology of the Sierra Almagrera
What was being mined and how those minerals were used - How lumps of argentiferous galena were turned into ingots of lead and silver
The foundries where this alchemy took place - Prospecting, how the mines developed, under the restrictive laws governing them
The arrival of the foreigners as the laws were relaxed - Extraction, a look at winches, whims and head-frames as time moves on
The how and why of the holes in the ground - The losing battle against the thermal waters in the depths
The pumping stations that were themselves money down the drain - Franco's re-awakening of El Arteal with the Santa Barbara tunnel, linking 139 mines
And, yet even more money down the drain - Ball mills, spiral classifiers, gravity washers and froth floatation tanks, a modern lavadero
In sickness and in health, love, life and times in this mining community