What to do in the Wanda Mines

Las Minas de Wanda is an attraction that most people visit when they visit Iguazú, since it stands out for being the most important deposit of semi-precious stones in Argentina and where you will be able to see how they are extracted and their production process until they become beautiful jewelry and ornaments.

As you walk around the property you will be surprised by the different colors and shapes of the quartz crystal stones, amethysts, agates and topaz. Some can be seen with hexagonal, dipyramidal, and octahedron prisms. Amethyst, which has an almost purplish color, was found mainly in the veins of the Wanda mines. Topaz, agates, jaspers, and rock crystals were also found.

During the tour you will also be able to see the tunnels from which the relief is worked and the rock crystals are obtained, which after various chemical and carving processes result in decorative objects of important value.

Several mining establishments operate in the Wanda, where in addition to extracting the stones, the task of cutting, polishing is also carried out and they produce different types of products from ornaments to jewelry. To fully know one of the most important mines in Argentina, appreciate the different sectors of the deposits, workshops and sales rooms, I recommend the tour to the Wanda Mines that has transfers and a specialized guide.

 

 

You can go to the Wanda Mines every day from 8 am to 6.30 pm, the entrance is through Boleslao Jejer street in the town of Wanda, 50 kilometers from Puerto Iguazú.

 

Children under 8 years old do not pay the income. Payments can be made in cash or with credit or debit cards.

 

 

 

The Wanda Colony, where the famous sites are located, was founded in 1936 by a group of pioneers, mostly Poles. The origin of her name refers to a Polish princess famous for her goodness and beauty who lived in the city of Krakow and sacrificed herself for her country, throwing herself into the Vistula River so as not to marry the crown prince to the throne German.

Wanda settlers planted tobacco, tung, citrus, and the other subsistence crops. As the colony grew, the National State built schools, health centers, civil registry and a National Gendarmerie post.

The new colony progressed slowly at first and rapidly after the arrival of the paved roads, at the same time the first yerba mate plantations were also beginning to be seen, an industry led by several people. One of them was the German Otto Bemberg, who after several years without achieving the profitability that he expected, decides to close his company. For this he chose to indemnify his employees with his lands, many of whom decided to inhabit them. Among them was the marriage of Victor Enebelo and Amalia Bogado, who while washing their clothes in the stream, suffered a cut because of a violet stone: it was an amethyst, but they did not know it until many years later when one of their children, Don Higinio returned to Misiones after working in Minas Gerais, saw the stone that his mother had in the house and with the knowledge he had acquired in Brazil, he explored the place and contacted the Mineralogy of the province. After determining the presence of geodes, they granted him the exploitation permits in the basalt rock.

Years later, his sons Higinio and Hector Enebelo began exploring the land, proving the existence of a mine with semi-precious stones. It is they who decide to leave a record with the Directorate of Mines and Geology under the name Selva Irupé, marking its discovery in 1976.

The reason why these semi-precious stones can be found is because the basement on which the province of Misiones rests was formed in the Tertiary era, approximately one hundred and fifty million years ago, and suffered different lava flows from the center of the city. Earth. When the lava cooled, the gas balloons were trapped and gave rise to the basic rock (basalt), which is the bedrock that gives rise to the formation of semi-precious stones in the region.

Many people assign values to stones according to their colors, energy and properties, which makes them use them to harmonize the environments of a home or office, while others prefer to carry them with themselves as amulet or protection. Here is the meaning of each of these semi-precious stones that can be found in the Wanda Mines:

 

- Jasper: It is a mineral known as "the supreme nutrient". It sustains and gives support in times of tension, providing tranquility and fullness. Jasper is a great ally to align the chakras.

- Aragonite: For many years in the past people related to Aragonite with the truth, understanding and the correct perception of reality. It is also associated with the correct nutrition of the body and spirit, with freedom, tolerance, clarity, confidence and insight in order to solve everyday problems.

- Violet amethyst: A curiosity of this mineral is its name and is that the meaning of the violet amethyst stone is "not drunk" because the word amethyst comes from the Greek amethystos which means "sober", in fact one of the qualities attributed to the mineral amethyst is to eliminate drunkenness, but also blocks stress, physical tensions, generates peace and gives luck. Violet color represents peace for nervous people and allows a good night's rest.

- Yellow Topaz: Yellow Topaz is said to be a gem that redirects all powers to attract positivity and the right things into your life. It is also known as the stone of luck which is why it is widely used as an amulet. It reinforces all good actions and cancels all negative thoughts, it is usually used against envy.

 

- Geode: It is considered of excellent spiritual value, even the most powerful of the whole family. Its main meanings are related to innocence, nobility, purity and strength. It is a great source of positive energy.

 

- Rock crystal: It is one of the purest minerals that exists. This is due to its raw, jagged, and pointed structure. It is transparent with smooth faces and piezoelectric properties. Different spiritual qualities are attributed to it, since it is said that it promotes the expansion of the soul, but not only this but it is even capable of promoting connection with other entities. It is believed that sleeping next to this mineral encourages premonitory dreams.

On the other hand, it is believed that due to its structure and resonance it also has the property of increasing the energies of the rest of the stones with which it comes into contact.

- Rhodochrosite: Represents selfless love and compassion. It is a stone that imparts a dynamic and positive attitude, it is excellent for the heart, since it allows to assimilate painful feelings. It is a spiritual stone that facilitates the opening of higher consciousness and psychic abilities.

-Citrine: Citrine has been used since the 5th century BC as an energy stone to attract joy, self-esteem and prosperity. Recharges energy, purifies the blood and reactivates the immune system. Increases psychic awareness, provides a good rest and the banishment of fear, driving away nightmares,

-Blue agate: Enhances emotional and mental flexibility by improving the decision-making process. It is a stone that stands out for its hardness. Its solidity is such that it was used in the armor of various ancient civilizations. For this reason it is considered as a protective stone that helps balance internal spiritual energies.

The material of all the stones in the Wanda Mines is quartz and the names vary depending on how they originated. When the air enters the gaseous voids of the deposits, if it cools rapidly, it gives rise to agates and jaspers, but in the case of slow cooling, the quartz gives rise to rock crystal, topaz and violet amethysts. In turn, each stone can have different shades of the same color and different natural or pressure-forged shapes.

 

When the semi-precious stones are obtained from the Wanda Mines, 100% of the minerals that are extracted, 95% are broken and only 5% are able to remove the entire geode. For it to become a piece of jewelry it must have color, hardness and crystallization. 1% is used in jewelery and the rest goes to costume jewelery and handicrafts.

To obtain them, radars are used that detect the minerals and they are broken by the vibrations that are generated. By opening with the hydraulic hammer, a miner can tell if there is a geode nearby because the sound is different.

The difference between a gemstone and a semi-precious stone lies in the mineral's hardness and transparency. Amethyst is a special case, because its value is given by the intensity of its violet color: the darker it is, the higher the quality of the stone. Quartz crystals adopt a particular shape, according to their molecular organization that is determined by the chemical element that makes them up: bipyramidal hexagonal prisms, octahedra.

 

 

Once all the sites are covered, you can go to the shop and jewelry store, where gems, ornaments and stones are displayed and sold. Next to the store is the workshop where semi-precious stones are transformed to be used in jewelry, visitors can also access this interesting sector.

The Wanda Mining Company, who is in charge of the management and production of the deposits as well as the administration of the store, aims to produce the best and most varied products with semi-precious stones and ornamental rocks, covering all areas of the production process that They range from the extraction of the mineral, through its processing to its sale in commercial premises. The work team is made up of gemologists, national mining technicians, carvers, faceters, designers and master goldsmiths.

The shop, as well as the goldsmith's workshop, is open every day, the latter has first-rate master goldsmiths who are perfected by attending different courses in the country and even abroad, which allows them to make jewelery of all kinds with an indescribable beauty, achieving the perfect combination between a finely faceted gem and a first class metal setting with detailed handcrafted finishes, obtaining a quality typical of the best jewelers in the world. Also in the goldsmith sector works the area of shading, laminating, and injection of metals, used for the manufacture of trimmings.

In the Wanda Mines store, you will find a wide variety of high quality and design products. The most chosen are jewels worked with silver gems, Citrine bracelets, faceted Amethyst earrings or Rhodocrocite necklaces. If you want to bring a gift, there are several beautiful ornaments such as Rhodocrocite owls, Blue Agate slices, Aragonite amphorae, and Agate slices.

For those who enjoy collecting stones, there are different sizes and exotic shapes of Sky Blue Topaz and Amethyst Geode. There are also faceted Amethyst and Citrine gems. All products can be paid in cash or with debit and credit cards.

 

 

There are two ways to get to the Wanda Mines from Puerto Iguazú, one is by driving along National Route 12 for 50 kilometers to the town of Wanda where you must take Boleslao Jejer street that will leave you at the entrance to the deposits. Once you enter there are very well signposted (pedestrian) paths that will allow you to explore the entire establishment.

Another way to get to the mines is by bus from the Puerto Iguazú terminal (Av. Córdoba 200), where the Expreso Singer bus line departs every day with a frequency of two hours to the Wanda Mines. the route is through RN 12 and passengers get off in the town of Wanda.

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