HISTORY
The Name comes from the Sacrifice “upala” which means precious stone and according to historical data, the opals of Mexico were used by the Aztec people for the elaboration of ornamental and ceremonial items between 1200 and 1519. The opal was known as the name vitzitziltecpal or "hummingbird stone", in reference to the resemblance of the iridescence of the gem with that of the bird's plumage.
With the conquest of the Spaniards the known localities of opal were lost, until, in 1840, Don José María Siurab rediscovered the deposits and began to work the Santa María Iris mines, in Hacienda Esmeralda. In 1855 other important deposits were discovered in the Esperanza Hacienda, La Carbonara Mine, among others.