Mining-metallurgical monopoly capital in Mexico, 1960–2023

• Although mexico's mining-metallurgical industry comprises about 130 companies, only a small group of large mexican corporations monopolize this activity. • Grupo México and Industrias Peñoles are the most emblematic and dominant companies. Together, they produce 77 % of Mexico's copper, 43 % of zinc, 41 % of silver, and 33 % of lead. • Both corporations are the only companies in Mexico involved in the refining and primary manufacturing of copper, lead, silver, gold, and zinc. These metallurgy monopolies contradict the classic definition of extractivism, as they add greater value to metals. • The monopoly of world-class deposits and a corporate-government network have been the strategies by which Mexican corporations have gained growing and lasting advantages over other competitors for six decades. • In both cases, the mining-metallurgy operations have led to serious environmental pollution and long-term health impacts on thousands of inhabitants. This study analyzes the historical evolution of monopoly capital in the mining-metallurgical sector in Mexico during 1960–2023, focusing on the cases of the companies Grupo México and Industrias Peñoles. The main corporate strategies used to maintain and expand their control are reviewed, as well as the economic policies and legal changes that occurred in parallel with this process, from the Mexicanization of the industry to the implementation of neoliberal policies. It is concluded that the trajectory of mining monopolies is based on the appropriation of growing revenues through land monopolization and the formation of a corporate-government network, leading to an increasing concentration of wealth and the generation of prolonged socio-environmental conflicts.