A good description of a tina appears in AN.Z, FE 1678 (n.f.), in a lease contract dated Zacatecas, 22 June 1678. Matías Tenorio, a miner of Zacatecas, leased his hacienda de minas to Cristóbal Carrasco. The inventory of the works includes a description of the washing shed. ‘El lavadero contiene ocho tijeras enlatadas, todo cubierto de tajamanil, a medio servir, gualdra, rueda, dos lanternillas, eje con sus guijos y cinchos, y toda la dentazón nueva y bien tratada, peón con cincho y guijo espeque con sus cuartas y horquetas, una tina grande, bien tratada, con tres cinchos y guijo, corriente y moliente, todo bueno, una tinilla chica de apurar con sus cinchos y otra de limpiar plata pequeña.’ Although the exact meaning of some technical terms is not clear, a reasonable translation is as follows: ‘The washing shed contains eight trusses, with rafters, the whole being roofed with wooden shingles, in moderate condition; the principal upper cross-beam (of the machinery), the main driving wheel, two pinions, the shaft with journals and iron binding-straps, all the gear teeth being new and in good condition; a smaller shaft with strap and journal, a paddle with four cross-pieces and spikes, a large vat, in good condition, with three iron straps and an iron bearing, all in good running order; a smaller purifying vat, with iron straps and another small vat for washing small pieces of silver.’ The phrase ‘espeque con sus cuartas y horquetas’ presents some difficulty, and is here taken to mean the paddle assembly rotating in the vat, called in other inventories simply ‘el molinete’.