Abstract
The Mesoamerican cultural evolution was influenced by the Prehispanic metal work and metallurgy in many ways. It made possible much creative work that from that time to the present has been cause of admiration. The first manifestations were achieved in the western region of Mesoamerica where all this activity was originated producing sumptuary goods of gold and silver and copper instruments and other alloys. These metallurgical applications were wonderful creations from an esthetic and technical point of view. It is from this region that it is spread through out the rest of Mesoamerica achieving great importance at the beginning of the XVI century. In order to understand the advances reached by the mining and metallurgy industries during the prehispanic era and the implications of the development of this activity on the forth coming historical eras in the Mexican territory and particularly in Guanajuato, the authors offer a global panorama from the beginning and the conformation of the mining and metallurgic activities in Mesoamerica, the techniques used for the extraction and the processing of the minerals, the achieved artistic creations and the significance of such activities within the cultural context of Mesoamerica.
