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154 chapter vi y The Rights or Shares of the Mines In order to avoid the confusion, chaos, and deaths that took place during the initial discoveries of gold in the creeks, it was decided that the shares of ownership would be determined in the following manner. The one who discovered the mine has first right as its discoverer, and another right as a miner. This is followed by what belongs to the king, and after that to the Head of the Customs House, and the others are distributed in lots. Those called “whole rights” are thirty braças square,6 and these are the type reserved for the king, the customs official, and the discoverer. The others distributed by lot are awarded in proportion to the number of slaves the individual has brought to prospect. This is at the rate of two braços square for each slave or Indian he brings to work the mines. In this way, someone who brings fifteen slaves will be awarded one whole right of thirty braças square. In order to be eligible for receiving a share, it is necessary to petition the superintendent of shares, to whom you must also give an oitava of gold and another oitava to his secretary for handling the petition. Sometimes it happens that five hundred petitions are offered, and the superintendent and secretary take one thousand oitavas. Not all the miners receive a share, because some fall short in their payments. Because of this, they request other shares when new mines are discovered. The king’s share is sold right away to whoever offers the highest price, and anyone else can trade or sell his share. In this way, at each step miners come and go and their success varies. Some miners with only a few braças extract a lot of gold, and others with more land find less. There was someone who, for a little more than one thousand oitavas, sold his share, from which the purchaser extracted seven arrobas of gold. Whatever share one has becomes a chance of good or ill fortune, finding or not finding gold. ...

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