Editing Sonora (section)

===Industry and mining===
[[File:Cananea mine.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of mines in Cananea]]
Most of the industry of the state is related to agriculture and fishing, in food processing and packing.<ref name="actecon"/> In the 1980s, the state gained a large number of industrial plants called "[[maquiladora]]s", mostly situated along the border and in the capital of [[Hermosillo]].<ref name="actecon"/> These are assembly plants run by mostly United States companies, which have certain duty and tax breaks. By the end of the 20th century, these enterprises had a large influence on the expansion and modernization of the border area, including Sonora. They not only introduced new sources of employment, but their United States management styles have also had influence on business in the state and the rest of the north. However, maquiladoras peaked in 2001, and now many United States companies are moving production facilities to China. The number of maquiladoras has declined, but the value of their output has increased as those that remain shift to higher value-added goods and automation. In addition, many of the plants abandoned by United States companies have been taken over by Mexican firms. Despite the decline of maquiladoras, exports from them have risen 40%.<ref name="malat28">{{cite book |editor1-first= Randy |editor1-last= Malat |others= Szerlip, Barbara (Editor). |title= Passport Mexico: Your Pocket Guide to Mexican Business, Customs and Etiquette |year= 2008 |publisher= World Trade Press |location= Petaluma, CA, USA |isbn= 978-1-885073-91-4 |page= [https://archive.org/details/passportmexicoyo0000mala/page/28 28] |url= https://archive.org/details/passportmexicoyo0000mala/page/28 |edition= 3rd }}</ref>

In addition to livestock, mining is another traditional element of Sonora's economy, beginning with a major find near the city of [[Álamos]]. While the silver of that area has mostly been depleted, Sonora still plays a large part in Mexico's standing as one of the top fifteen producers of minerals in the world, leading in silver, [[celestite]] and [[bismuth]]. Sonora is the leading producer of gold, copper, [[graphite]], [[molybdenum]], and [[wollastonite]]. There are still deposits of silver in the Sierra Madre Occidental. Sonora also has one of the largest coal reserves in the country.<ref name="cartron56">Cartron, p. 56</ref> The state has the largest mining surface in Mexico,<ref name="cartron56"/> and three of the country's largest mines: La Caridad, Cananea and Mineria María. It is also home to North America's oldest copper mine, located in Cananea.<ref name="cartron57">Cartron, p. 57</ref> [[Grupo México]], with one of its principal mining operations in Cananea, is the world's third-largest copper producer.<ref name="avoidstrike">{{cite news |title= Grupo Mexico wants to avoid strike at its Cananea mine with wage offer |newspaper= NoticiasFinancieras |date=August 11, 2004 |page=1}}</ref> In 2002, mines produced 6,634.5 kilograms of gold, 153,834 kilograms of silver, five tons of lead, 267,171 tons of copper, three tons of [[zinc]], 18,961 tons of iron, 7,176 tons [[barium sulphate]]. However, annual production is heavily dependent on world market prices.<ref name="actecon"/> A large [[lithium]] open pit mine is under construction at La Ventana.<ref>{{cite web |title=Top ten biggest lithium mines in the world based on reserves |url=https://www.mining-technology.com/features/top-ten-biggest-lithium-mines/ |website=Mining Technology {{!}} Mining News and Views Updated Daily |date=30 August 2019}}</ref>

Mexico's mining industry was mostly dominated by the Spaniards during the colonial period, and then by foreign enterprises after [[Mexican War of Independence|Independence]]. In the 1960s and 1970s, the government forced out most foreign interests in Mexican mining, beginning with the increasing restriction of ownership in Mexican mining companies.<ref name="cartron56"/> These restrictions were relaxed starting in 1992, with the only restriction that the operating company be Mexican. Within three years of the change, more than seventy foreign companies, mostly United States and Canadian enterprises, opened offices in Hermosillo.<ref name="cartron57"/>

Major mining operations have had severe environmental impact, especially in the areas surrounding it, with Cananea as the primary example. Mining has been functioning here for over a century, with mining and smelter wastes polluting the [[San Pedro River (Arizona)|San Pedro]] and [[Sonora River]]s near the mine, threatening both watersheds. Mining operations also destroy nearby forests due to the demand for building materials and fuel. Few old trees stand near the city of [[Cananea]] and the town of [[San Javier, Sonora|San Javier]] in central Sonora.<ref name="cartron57"/>