One of my semi-frequent writing assignments include summarizing articles and/or stories. Some of my favorite stories come from National Geographic. Through both personal narratives and some of the world’s best photography, they can passionately tell any story to the world. This is a summary of the National Geographic article, “The World’s Highest Gold Rush,” written by Barbara Fraser and Hildegard Willer.

---

Nestled in the shadow of Mount Ananea, La Rinconada in Peru is the world’s highest permanent settlement. At 16,732 feet above sea level, this sprawl is home to countless informal and unregulated gold mining operations. The National Geographic article The World’s Highest Gold Rush, written by Barbara Fraser and Hildegard Willer, tells the story of these informal mines and what life is like under the dangerous conditions of La Rinconada.

The mines of La Rinconada are one of South America’s many unregulated mining operations. Here, laborers search and work under hard, brutal, and dangerous conditions for the Developed World’s gold. Many smaller mining companies have claims under these gold mines, in which they contract out work. However, apart from food and lodging, there are no wages distributed to the workers. In turn, an antiquated system known is Cachorreo is used. Once or twice a month, workers are able to keep the gold they find. This system of luck can convince people to work under the false dream of finding fortune. Mount Ananea is also veiled in folklore. According to local culture, the mountain is a female spirit who will guide a lucky few to fortune. For some, the chances for riches are just too good to ignore. Although inroads have been made to improve the mines, the progress is slow. This is both due to the remote location of the mines and the workers not standing up for improved conditions. For many of the workers using the mines as a secondary form of income, the informal conditions are better than signing long term labor contracts and working under a managed setting.

The contractors who run the mines are not actually present in the operation. Daily oversight is given to local overseers. This lack of authority can lead to hazardous working conditions. Although the Peruvian government is making an effort to formalize the operation, the system in place can be easily manipulated by corporations. As long as contractors can prove they are in the process of filing out the paperwork, they can continue to run as before. For the international market, American and Swiss buyers can be very discerning. For that, much of the gold is exported via black market operations. If the paperwork appears legitimate, the exporters have no need to inspect the mines, leaving La Rinconada remaining in an ambiguous state. Some refineries will also not take the gold ore due to the mining conditions. Because of this, there is a large on-site refinery presence in La Rinconada. However, without proper regulation, the conditions at the refineries can be even worse than the mines themselves. Such methods involve using cyanide to extract the gold, which is incredibly toxic to humans. The lack of management can lead to deteriorating conditions, resulting in even more problems with the mines.

High up in the Peruvian Andes, the mines of La Rinconada are one of the many informal gold mining operations in South America. Suffering through dangerous and toxic conditions, unpaid laborers work to supply the rich with sought-after gold. Through both uncaring management and workers’ reluctance to change, the gold mines of La Rinconada, along with countless others, have been allowed to exist well into the modern era.