Minerals, Collecting, and Value Across the U.S.-Mexico Border

Elizabeth Emma Ferry traces the movement of minerals as they circulate from Mexican mines to markets, museums, and private collections. She describes how and why these byproducts of ore mining come to be valued by people in various walks of life as scientific specimens, religious offerings, and luxury collectibles. The story of mineral exploration and trade defines a rich and variegated US-Mexican space and sheds new light on this complex relationship.