Riotinto-Nerva mining basin

Aerial view of Corta Atalaya, next to the municipality of Minas de Ríotinto.

Malacate and former crushing plant of the Peña del Hierro Mine (Nerva).

The Riotinto-Nerva mining basin is a Spanish mining area located in the northeast of the province of Huelva (Andalusia), which has its main population centers in the municipalities of El Campillo, Minas de Riotinto and Nerva, in the region of the Cuenca Minera. It is also part of the Iberian Pyrite Belt.

Historically, this area has been exploited for mining purposes, and a major industrial complex was established in contemporary times. Although there is evidence of this type of activity in the area during protohistoric times, it was not until Roman times when an organized exploitation of its deposits took place. After the activity of the mines was resumed in the Modern Age, the Riotinto basin experienced its peak between the end of the 19th century and the middle of the 20th century under the management of the British Rio Tinto Company Limited. A significant industrial and demographic boom took place during those years. Nowadays, the mineral extraction activity continues, mainly in the Cerro Colorado, although without reaching the production levels it had in the past.

The basin holds an extensive historical and industrial heritage as a result of the activities that took place during the Contemporary Age, especially those related to the British period. As a result, in recent decades various initiatives aimed at its preservation and use for tourism purposes were implemented. In 2005, the Riotinto-Nerva mining area was declared Bien de Interés Cultural with the category of Sitio histórico.^[1]