The crystal structure of buergerite from Mexico has been refined by least-squares by use of singlecrystal X-ray intensity data collected by counter diffractometry. Buergerite, ideally NaFel+B3A16Si6030F, crystallizes in R3m; the hexagonal cell dimensions for the specimen used are: a= 15.869+ 2, c=7-188 + 1/~ at 21°C. Din=3.30+ 1 at 23°C; with Z=3, Dx=3.29 g.cm-3. Of 3909 independent reflections measured, 3121 were observed; the residual R for the observed reflections is 0.046. The structure is very similar to the refined dravite structure of Buerger, Burnham & Peacor (Acta Cryst. (1962), 15, 583) which was used as the starting model. Refinement of the (Fe3+, A1) distribution shows that some fenic iron replaces octahedral aluminum in the 18(c) position, a substitution not required by the chemical analysis. The absolute orientation of the crystal structure with respect to the macroscopic polar properties of tourmaline was determined by anomalous dispersion, mostly due to iron, under copper radiation. The SiO4 tetrahedra point toward the analogous pole of the c axis, the pole that becomes positively charged on heating.