Gold and silver were discovered at Guadalupe by the Spanish in the late 1700s and mining occurred in the area for over 150 years up until the 1950s. The main Guadalupe underground operation opened in the late 1800s and to date is the most significant source of gold production in the district. It is estimated to have produced 500-600K oz of gold and 40M oz of silver at reported grades of +10 g/t Au and +500 g/t Ag.
From the 1950s through the 1980s there was limited activity in the Guadalupe area other than exploration reconnaissance studies. The one exception was a small vat leaching operation that was constructed and operated by the local concession owner in the late 1980s. It is reported that during this period approximately 32,000 t of coarse crushed mineralized rock grading 5-6 g/t Au was leached with cyanide in open vats.
Modern drilling was reinitiated at the Guadalupe project area in the 1990s and was targeted at defining shallow and lower-grade gold-silver mineralization in areas surrounding the Guadalupe underground operations. Since that time, +40,000 m of RC and core drilling have been completed within the current project boundaries.