The prehispanic furnace built over 800 years ago, was used for copper smelter.

In 1960, two large roasters and a second, larger, reverberatory furnace were constructed to expand the copper smelter capacity to 70,000 t of blister copper per year.

By 1800 nine copper smelters were in production in the valley.

A railway had been opened to the town and copper smelters were operating by 1917, and by 1918 the population was recorded as 750 people.

Flash smelters account for over 50% of the world's copper smelters.