Historical Archaeology of El Triunfo, 19th Century Mining Community of Baja California Sur, Mexico

Field archaeological reconnaissance was conducted at El Triunfo, Baja California Sur, Mexico during January, 2007 by students and faculty from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Along with supporting archival research, this investigation documented and photographed historical buildings, mines, mining equipment, and domestic refuse deposits in the now depopulated town of El Triunfo. This work documents a well preserved example of mining communities that transformed the social, economic and technological landscapes of western North America during the 19th century. Founded in 1862, El Triunfo was a melting pot of miners, merchants and residents drawn to the town's gold and silver mines from Mexico, the United States, England, China and other countries. After more than 60 years of mining, El Triunfo closed its operations in 1926. The town subsequently declined economically, losing all but a small fraction of its previous population. El Triunfo remains, however, one of the best preserved 19th and early 20th century mining communities in North America, making it a relatively undisturbed archaeological time capsule.

El Triunfo, like other mining communities, utilized some of the most advanced industrial technology of the 19th century, including La Ramona, 35-meter-high smokestack designed by Gustav Eiffel, renowned engineer and designer of the Eiffel Tower, Paris, France. Once the largest settlement on the Baja California peninsula, El Triunfo contains archaeological deposits which can help us to understand the socioeconomic development of the community, interaction of the town's varied ethnic communities and the role the community played as a producer and consumer in the 19th century economy of Mexico and North America.