A mine at altitude that yielded ore with 30% sulfur was opened by Julian B. Carrasco in 1913, who subsequently established the Compañía Minera y Azufrera Carrasco S.A in 1933. The sulfur was transported down first with llamas, later through an aerial cableway system and finally by trucks. The sulfur was then transported to Chuquicamata to be converted into sulfuric acid. The mine was active from 1950 to 1992. The last reported mining activity on the mountain was in 1994. In 1977 other sulfur mines were present to the west between Cerro Polan and Cerro Gordo and south of the main Aucanquilcha massif. The cableway runs from the mine to a mining camp () and from there to Amincha (). The road leading up to the mine is dated 1972 and is now impassable because of rock falls. There is still a relic network of roads leading up to .