9 and named Sr Manuel Astudillo Samaniego as the Mining Magistrate for this canton.
Restarting the economy
The newly-formed state invited technicians and businesses from throughout the world to invest in mining, especially in Zaruma. In 1862, Garc�a Moreno created a tax on mining in order to benefit Zaruma municipality. In 1876, Ignacio de Veintimilla hired the German geologist Teodoro Wolf to study Zaruma's mines. Later, in 1860, the Great Zaruma Gold Mining Company Limited was formed with the help of English investments and a total capital of �250,000.
El Oro Province
On 29 November 1882, Zaruma, Machala and Santa Rosa provinces declared the creation of a new province named El Oro, in honour of the region's gold, of which Zaruma was capital until 1884. On 23 April 1884, with the New Law of Territorial Division, the province was recognised but with its capital in Machala.
Other dates
In 1990, the Ecuadorian Ministry for Education and Culture declared Zaruma as an Ecuatorian Cultural Heritage site. Since 1998, Zaruma has been on Unesco's list of candidates for World Heritage Site
