Article ID: CBB223362546

Silver refining in the New World: A singularity in the history of useful knowledge (2024)

unapi

Guerrero, Saúl (Author)
Pretel, David (Author)


History of Science
Volume: 62
Issue: 2
Pages: 175-201
Publication date: 2024
Language: English


Historians have thoroughly documented the development of mercury-based silver refining in Spanish America in the late sixteenth century, and its use for over 300 years on an industrial scale unknown in Europe. However, we currently lack any consensus about the significance of this technology in the global history of knowledge. This article critically reassesses the invention and improvement of this refining method with the aim of addressing two interrelated issues. Firstly, how experiential knowledge and practical skills in silver refining were deliberately harnessed to solve a specific technical problem. Secondly, how economic incentives and patronage set the stage for empirical practices and a collaborative culture that facilitated the widespread use of this novel technique. In so doing, this article places silver refining within the theoretical constructs and historiography of useful knowledge, and bridges narratives that have remained largely isolated.

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Authors & Contributors
Anagnostou, Sabine
Barrera-Osorio, Antonio
Guerrero, Saúl
Portuondo, María M.
Bigelow, Allison Margaret
Carrillo Castillo, Jesús
Journals
Bulletin for the History of Chemistry
Archives Internationales d'Histoire des Sciences
Bulletin of Latin American Research
Colonial Latin American Review
Eighteenth Century: Theory and Interpretation
Environmental History
Publishers
Cambridge University Press
Rowman & Littlefield
University of Chicago Press
Vanderbilt University Press
Concepts
Spain, colonies
Colonialism
Silver
Cross-cultural interaction; cultural influence
Mines and mining
Metallurgy
People
Acosta, José de
Fernández de Oviedo, Gonzalo
Time Periods
16th century
17th century
18th century
19th century
Early modern
15th century
Places
Americas
Spain
Bolivia
Mexico
Peru
Manila (Philippines)
Institutions
Jesuits (Society of Jesus)
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