The mine opened in 1997 and was met with local opposition before complaints about environmental pollution.

[2] The mine uses cyanide and sulphuric acid to extract the copper and gold from the ore.

The mine produces 314,000 tons of ore daily, which is mixed with water into mud that is piped 216 kilometres to San Miguel de Tucumán.

In Tucumán, the mud is dried and concentrated before being moved by train to the Port of Rosario for separation and smelting outside Argentina.

In 2011 and 2012, local community members protested the mine, including blocking the National Route 40 near Belén in May 2012.