Sphalerite from Taxco de Alarcón, Guerrero, Mexico

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cm in size on matrix with colorless crystals of quartz. In good condition. Taxco de Alarcon, located in the northern mountains of Guerrero, Mexico, is a legendary historic mining district whose silver wealth has been exploited since pre-Hispanic times and dramatically expanded following the arrival of Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes in the 1520s, with large-scale commercial extraction surging under the 18th-century mining magnate Jose de la Borda. Geologically, the deposit is hosted within a complex volcanic and intrusive sequence of the Sierra Madre del Sur, featuring Tertiary volcanic rocks cut by hydrothermal vein systems. Mineralogically, the district is famous for its rich polymetallic veins producing exceptional specimens of silver, quartz, calcite, barite and various base metal sulfides that continue to captivate mineral collectors worldwide.