Mexico Tracks Aluminum Trade as Capstone Exits Cozamin

Mexico's Economy Ministry launched an aluminum trade monitor and updated its steel platform, adding smelt-and-cast origin data for both metals. In addition, Mercado Minerals signs an LOI for La Franca in Sinaloa after surface sampling returned kilogram-grade silver at its Zamora project.

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Mexico Launches Aluminum Trade Monitor, Updates Tracking Platform

Mexico's Ministry of Economy has rolled out a new digital tool to track the country's aluminum trade flows, alongside an upgraded version of its existing steel monitor, as the government continues to build out the data infrastructure underpinning its industrial policy amid ongoing friction with Washington over metals tariffs.

Mercado Minerals Signs LOI for La Franca in Zamora, Sinaloa

Mercado Minerals has signed a letter of intent to acquire the La Franca concession in Sinaloa, a property that surrounds the company's existing Campanillas concession within its broader Zamora project, after surface sampling returned some of the highest-grade silver results reported from the district this year.

Capstone Sells Cozamin to Luca Mining in US$385 Million Deal

Vancouver-based Capstone Copper has agreed to sell its Cozamin copper-silver-zinc-lead mine in Zacatecas to Luca Mining Corp. for total consideration of up to US$385 million, in one of the largest mid-tier mining transactions to hit Mexico this year. The deal, signed Sept. 21, 2026, will see Luca take full ownership of a mine that has produced continuously for two decades, while Capstone redirects its capital toward copper growth projects in Chile and the United States.

Endeavour Silver Cuts Guanaceví Throughput

Endeavour Silver has temporarily scaled back processing at its Guanaceví operation in Durango after detecting a mechanical failure in the site's primary ball mill. The Canadian producer, listed on the NYSE and TSX, took the mill out of service on Sept. 21 to prepare for the replacement of two key components, the mill head and the trunnion, both of which are already stored at the mine.

Materiality Test: Mexico's New Requirement for Mineral Exporters

Mexican mineral exporters now face a "materiality" standard. SAT and Customs can require proof that each concentrate shipment physically happened, backed by Articles 69-B and 5-A of the Federal Tax Code and Rule 1.4.14 of the RGCE. Because concentrates are blended and change hands several times between the mine and the port, they are especially exposed to detentions, transfer-pricing audits and delayed VAT refunds. Ruben Cano, Founding Partner, CR Legal Partners Mexico, advises building documentation for each lot in real time and reviewing customs valuations before the pedimento is filed.

Mining’s Most Valuable Asset May Not Be Underground

In Mexico, trust with communities, ejidos, landowners and local authorities is often a mining project's most valuable asset, argues Pablo Méndez, Managing Partner, EC Rubio. Drawing on more than 20 years advising mining projects, he says community relations have shifted from a corporate social responsibility function to part of core project strategy. Because every region is different, these relationships must be built long before conflicts arise and designed to outlast changes in leadership. The social license to operate is not permanent, he adds, so companies must keep earning it through open communication and commitments they fulfill throughout the life of the mine.