In southern Portugal we can find one of the most fascinating industrial landscapes, extending for many kilometres along the valley with the ruins of the Mines of San Domingo, which contained some of the world’s most important copper and sulphur deposits. The 100-year history of the mines started in 1854 and ended in 1965. The social processes and events typical to the major European mining centres developed here. Creating a historical and anthropological portrait of the San Domingo Mines will help preserve their memory, spanning the entire cycle from their origin to their closure.