Circulation and Appropriation of Mineralogy Knowledge between America and Europe: Capitain Martín de Ocampo’s Arbitrations, 1605-1625

Abstract

The objective of this article is to analyze the way mining knowledge circulated between America and Europe. The excise taxes elaborated by Captain Martín de Ocampo (Badajoz, ca. 1550 – Santafé de Bogotá, 1651) will be taken as an example to exploit and improve the performance of mercury, silver and gold mines located in Spain, in Peru. and in the New Kingdom of Granada. Ocampo was a mediator between local miners and Crown officials who knew how to take advantage of his experience as a conqueror and miner in different regions of the Catholic Monarchy to transfer empirical knowledge and serve as a connector for the mineralogical knowledge that circulated between the New and the Old Worlds. His professional life shows that knowledge did not always move in the Europe-America direction, but rather, on the contrary, from very early on the New World became a space where new mining techniques were developed, and others were improved, being used on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

Keywords:
History of mining; arbitration; circulation of knowledge