Zacatecas consolidates its leadership in mining production

Zacatecas is the bastion of the country's mining and metallurgical industry, as it is the main producer of gold, silver, lead, and zinc.

Last April, the state reaffirmed its position as a mining stronghold, according to the Mining and Metallurgical Industry Statistics (EIMM) published by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi).

The state led in zinc production, with an annual increase of 15.6% that brought its production to 42,700 tons, as well as in lead, where it recorded growth of 5.2% with 14,267 tons.

Although Zacatecas remained the largest producer of silver with 172,687 kilograms, this represented a year-on-year decline of 2.6%, while gold, also at the top, fell 4.8% with 3,109 obtained in the state.

Guerrero emerged as the positive exception in gold production, with an increase of 11.3%, reaching 1,566 kilograms. Chihuahua, along with Guerrero, was the only state with an increase in silver production of 1.3%, but declines of 1.6% in gold and 9.2% in zinc.

The mining sector faces uncertainty generated by geopolitical tensions and a lack of clarity in national regulations, especially on issues such as water use, the ban on open-pit mining, and negotiations with ejido landowners, which limited investment plans.

In addition, insecurity and rising prices for services and inputs had a negative impact on operations in several areas of the country, according to the Report on Regional Economies for the first quarter of 2025 produced by the Bank of Mexico (Banxico).

“Exploration is on hold; we are waiting for the secondary laws (of the Mining Law) to be finalized so that we can address the issue of exploration with greater certainty. We need to create conditions of credibility and trust so that investment comes here and does not go elsewhere,” Rubén del Pozo, president of the Association of Mining Engineers, Metallurgists, and Geologists of Mexico (AIMMGM), told El Economista.