field found in Canada. In the 1960s, the company acquired an industrial minerals business, producing granite and limestone in Florida. In 1973, the company was rename Rosario Resources Corporation to reflect its greater geographic and product diversification. In 1976, Rosario's acquisition of the Fresnillo Company in Mexico helped it become the largest silver producer in the Western Hemisphere. In the late 1970s, the rapid rise of prices for all of Rosario's products resulted in spectacular profits for the company, and it became a highly visible target for larger companies searching for growth. After a takeover fight, Reininger negotiated highly rewarding terms for the merger of the company into AMAX in April 1980. AMAX Inc. acquired Rosario Resources Corporation for $465 million. The Company independent life ended. In 1993, AMAX was merged with Cyprus Minerals Company to create Cyprus Amax Resources. Mining in Honduras The mountains around Tegucigalpa were largely known to contain gold and silver deposits since Spanish settlement in the area, which led to the area being visited by fortune seekers from Central America and the United States, among other locations. In 1880, after successful negotiations with the fragile Honduran government, The New York and Honduras Rosario Mining Company was established in the US. The mining firm took a well-known mine in San Juancito, 40 km northeast of Tegucigalpa, and in the next decade produced three million dollars in silver and gold. By the beginning of the 20th century it had more than one thousand workers. The mineral wealth of the San Juancito mountains was first discovered by native Indians as early as the 15th century. It was later exploited by Spanish conquistadors. But it wasn't until 1880, and the arrival of the New York-based Rosario Mining Company, that the area was transformed. Over the next few decades, the towns of El Rosario and San Juancito swelled in population from a few hundred to more than 40,000. Trees were chopped down to provide lumber for houses and offices and to reinforce mine shafts. The mine had the following veins: South San Miguel, North San Miguel-Concepcion, Rosario, San Joaquin, Candelaria, Guadalupe Vein, West Vein, South West Vein, Jucuara Vein, Colonia Vein, Nueva Vein Socorro Vein, San Vicente Vein, Capitana Vein, Culebra Vein, Crisanta Vein, Buena Ventura, Northwest, Catalina, North, Los Cedros. During its 74 years of operation, the New York and Honduras Rosario Mining Company extracted $100 million (U.S.) worth