Over $700,000,000 is invested in mining in Mexico, of which sum $500,000,000 is American, $90,000,000 English, $10,000,000 French and $30,000,000 Mexican.
The leading minerals exported in 1912, the latest records available, were:
| Silver | $44,784,177 |
| Gold | 24,952,558 |
| Copper | 13,285,192 |
| Lead | 3,009,060 |
| Antimony | 859,876 |
| Zinc | 441,897 |
The production of petroleum is rapidly increasing, in 1912 over 17,000,000 barrels being the output from the wells.
Mexico has been dependent upon Europe and the United States for her coal supply, her yearly requirements being about 5,000,000 tons of which she produced from local mines almost 1,000,000 tons. There are, however, enormous deposits of this commodity and under proper development Mexico could supply her own needs in this line as well as become an exporter.
The local industries comprise paper mills, cotton-mills, cigarette factories, woolen-mills, breweries, sugar refineries, shoe, furniture and match factories. They produce only sufficient for home consumption.
Mexico exported goods to the value of $150,202,808 in 1913, while during the same period her imports reached the sum of $97,886,169, the United States buying and selling the greater portion thereof.
The following table shows the relative amounts of exports and imports credited to the leading mercantile nations.
| Country | Imports from Mexico | Exports to Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $48,643,778 | $116,017,854 |
| United Kingdom | 12,950,046 | 15,573,551 |
| Germany | 12,610,384 | 8,219,009 |
| France | 9,168,977 | 3,575,509 |
The monetary system of Mexico to-day is completely disorganized, owing to the issuance of paper money by the many revolutionary leaders. Mexico is nominally on a gold exchange standard basis, the peso having a value in American gold of 49.846 cents. Prior to the present unrest in this country, there were direct banking connections between Europe and the United States.