Since the colonial time of the Spanish empire in Central America, mining has been part of the region’s export economy. With the exception of Nicaragua, however, mineral production has never dominated the region’s economies.
On the contrary, the low metal prices of the 1980’s and 1990’s led some metal mining and processing operations to shut down. As mining activity declined, national economies became more diversified until, during the 2000s, metal commodity prices recovered, reviving mining companies interest in the region.
Today, a number of players are reaping the benefits of this resurgence and a number of mining operations are in production in Central America.