Autlan is a Mexican company, annual revenue around US$437 million and recent profit around $35 million. Share price apparently peaked Q2/18 at 20 pesos (Cdn$1.38) and is now around 9 pesos or Cdn$0.62. The company sees the ECU acquisition as an "increase and diversification of its reserves into other metals such as silver and zinc". They purchased another gold miner (Metallorum) in 2018. Their business historically has centred on manganese and steel additives sold to Mexican and U.S. steel producers. They are also getting into the renewable energy business. Around 1000 employees and 6 executives.

All of which would seem to indicate that they are not buying AUM's mining assets to maintain them in "care and maintenance". Which raises the question that has bothered me for some time. Autlan appears to think it can operate the mine profitably at current gold and silver prices. Why couldn't AUM do the same? And if it could not, then what metals prices would have allowed them to do so?