The teachings of Mine Engineering were established in Spain by Royal Order on July 14th, 1777, under King Carlos III of Spain, ten years after the first ‘Academy of Mines’ was opened in Freiberg, in Saxony (Germany). With the help of prestigious national and international specialists, the original ‘Mining Academy’ was created, in Almadén, Spain.
It was in this century that the incorporation of Science into empirical and experimental technologies began. Mathematical knowledge was needed for mining, and knowledge of minerals began with the examination of their chemical composition and crystallographic structures.
The first qualification was called ‘Underground Geometry and Mineralogy’, taught by Enrique Cristóbal Storr. Meanwhile Fausto and Juan José De Elhúyar discovered the element ‘Wolframio’. Fausto also founded the ‘Royal Mining Seminary of Mexico’. Another professor of the Seminary, Andrés Manuel del Río isolated ‘Vanadium’.
In 1799, Physics and Chemistry joined the Curriculum, and Proust began teaching ‘Geognosy’ in the ‘Mining Academy’. At the end of the century, the number of schools multiplied across South America, under Spanish direction. In the last years of the century, Alexander von Humboldt's geological journeys through Hispanic America opened the teachings of ‘Geology’ in the Mining Schools of Spain and America.
In 1827, the experience of the ‘Metodo de Patio’ and Alonso Barba’s treatments to obtain silver became essential and were studied both in Almadén, and in Mexico and Peru. But now, unlike during the days of alchemy, Metallurgy was supported by Chemistry.
Until the mid-19th century, teaching was, in a way, a conglomerate of empirical, scientific, and experimental knowledge. The Public Instruction Act of 1857, which created the ‘Engineer's Degree’, was the starting point of the teaching concept of three-year courses, initially, which was then later extended to five-year courses, two years later.
Arguably the structure of these curricula, which included basic sciences, (Mathematics, Mechanics, Chemistry, Descriptive Geometry) in the first two courses; (Mineralogy, Analytical Chemistry, Construction, Paleontology, Geology, Metallurgy and Machines) in the following two, and specialities (Mining, Special Metallurgy, Geodesy, Law and Mining Legislation) in the last, has been preserved in all technical degrees to this day.
