CERRO DE PASCO, a mining town of Peru, capital of the department of Junin, 76' 16' W., io° 43' S., 221 m. N.E. of Lima by rail, via Oroya. Pop. (1926 est.) 20,000, altitude 14,167 feet. In the midst of a cold, desolate region without tree or shrub, Cerro de Pasco has been famed in history as one of the richest silver mining districts in Peru, second only to Potosi. Silver, cop per, gold and lead are found in many forms. The town is riddled with tunnels and entrances to ancient mines with attendant piles of debris. The adobe houses and rough streets are unevenly arranged, and thick smoke and evil smells contaminate an other wise healthy, though harsh, climate. Strangers are apt to suffer from sorache, a disease caused by the rarefied atmosphere. The inhabitants are mostly Indian labourers and their families. There are a few modern buildings such as hotels, clubs and commercial houses. Previous to 1898 when extraction of copper began. only silver was mined here. In 1906 the Cerro de Pasco Mining Co., founded in the United States, began to export copper. It is now the largest producer and has built a railway from Cerro de Pasco to Oroya ( 83 In.) connecting there with the State railway to Lima and Callao, and another forked branch (25 m.) from Cerro de Pasco to the bituminous coal mines of Gollarisquisga and Quishuarcancha, whose entire output is used by the company. It owns smelters, including one of 3,00o tons at Oroya, a 12,000 h.p. hydro-electric plant, and is altogether one of the most com plete mining establishments in the world. In 1927 its output was 45,000 tons copper, 12.500.000 oz. silver and 26,500 oz. gold. The production of lead bullion by the Cerro de Pasco Co. now averages 5o tons a day. (M. T. BI.)