For the first decade, the growth of the mining camp evolved by need. The first efforts went naturally into mining. Two distinct areas were developed: Pueblo Hundido and El Establecimiento where a concentrator, a hydroelectric plant, ferry cables for the overhead transport of ore were built, followed by a smelter and other necessary functions.
A short discussion on copper mining, one of the oldest commercial activities known to man. Though now the exploration process is more sophisticated, involving a team of scientists, including exploration geologists, geochemists, geophysicists, metallurgists and engineers discovering a copper ore deposit, in early times, and when Cerro Negro was first mined, the discovery and following operations were more haphazard.