documentary photography, photo, image, Black and white art, landscape photography, people, social, artistic, Desert, Atacama, professional photography, travel photography, storytelling of miners, mining, hard, gold
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The small mining town of Jesus Maria, 15 km from Copiapo in the Atacama desert. This town had quite a mining boom during the 80's. Today no more than 5 miners work extracting the remaining gold in hte most precarious conditions. ×
The small mining town of Jesus Maria, 15 km from Copiapo in the Atacama desert. This town had quite a mining boom during the 80's. Today no more than 5 miners work extracting the remaining gold in hte most precarious conditions. ×

Pirquineros


In the Atacama Desert, the driest in the world, situated in the north of Chile, the continuous hammering on the rocks disturbs the absolute silence that reigns over this vast region. It’s in the small veins of gold and copper that surge to the surface that these ancient miners can be found extracting the precious metal. These veins are followed to the depths of the earth, were only a few dare to go. In one of the harshest life conditions on earth, this men risk their lives every day in search of the metal that will solve their economical troubles - and their families- for at least a while. But uncertainty is always present and the line that they have been following for months could disappear in the blink of an eye, and so do their dreams.
Greed is believed to be the cause of the misfortune of many miners. For this reason they have chosen a simple and upright life, free from frenzied ambitions. To be a pirquinero, - Jose, a 80 year old miner - says "you also have to be cook, launderer, geologist, freighter, mill worker, perforator, builder and economist, all learned at the school of life".
This way of life has made these miners bullet proof; but in this solitudes is where the true nature of man blooms (or at least that's how I experienced it), words like selfishness don't belong there. There will be always room, a plate of food, hot tea and good conversation for an outsider; this same person could be receiving you somewhere out there sometime, this is law here or actually the way things have to work.
Every year, a handful of these miners loose their life working in the most unsafe conditions in the mining industry. In their case they'll probably die alone like they have been working thought their life.

documentary photography, photo, image, Black and white art, landscape photography, people, social, artistic, Desert, Atacama, professional photography, travel photography, storytelling of miners, mining, hard, gold
documentary photography, photo, image, Black and white art, landscape photography, people, social, artistic, Desert, Atacama, professional photography, travel photography, storytelling of miners, mining, hard, gold
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Mr. Sergio Plaza walks again to the mine to find better luck. ×
Mr. Sergio Plaza walks again to the mine to find better luck. ×
documentary photography, photo, image, Black and white art, landscape photography, people, social, artistic, Desert, Atacama, professional photography, travel photography, storytelling of miners, mining, hard, gold
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A miner decends to his working place 90 meters below the ground. ×
A miner decends to his working place 90 meters below the ground. ×
documentary photography, photo, image, Black and white art, landscape photography, people, social, artistic, Desert, Atacama, professional photography, travel photography, storytelling of miners, mining, hard, gold
documentary photography, photo, image, Black and white art, landscape photography, people, social, artistic, Desert, Atacama, professional photography, travel photography, storytelling of miners, mining, hard, gold
documentary photography, photo, image, Black and white art, landscape photography, people, social, artistic, Desert, Atacama, professional photography, travel photography, storytelling of miners, mining, hard, gold
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two miners take a break before going back to the mine. ×
two miners take a break before going back to the mine. ×
documentary photography, photo, image, Black and white art, landscape photography, people, social, artistic, Desert, Atacama, professional photography, travel photography, storytelling of miners, mining, hard, gold
documentary photography, photo, image, Black and white art, landscape photography, people, social, artistic, Desert, Atacama, professional photography, travel photography, storytelling of miners, mining, hard, gold
documentary photography, photo, image, Black and white art, landscape photography, people, social, artistic, Desert, Atacama, professional photography, travel photography, storytelling of miners, mining, hard, gold
documentary photography, photo, image, Black and white art, landscape photography, people, social, artistic, Desert, Atacama, professional photography, travel photography, storytelling of miners, mining, hard, gold
documentary photography, photo, image, Black and white art, landscape photography, people, social, artistic, Desert, Atacama, professional photography, travel photography, storytelling of miners, mining, hard, gold
documentary photography, photo, image, Black and white art, landscape photography, people, social, artistic, Desert, Atacama, professional photography, travel photography, storytelling of miners, mining, hard, gold
documentary photography, photo, image, Black and white art, landscape photography, people, social, artistic, Desert, Atacama, professional photography, travel photography, storytelling of miners, mining, hard, gold
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A group of miners play cards before going to sleep. ×
A group of miners play cards before going to sleep. ×
documentary photography, photo, image, Black and white art, landscape photography, people, social, artistic, Desert, Atacama, professional photography, travel photography, storytelling of miners, mining, hard, gold
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Faith is an important issue in the life of miners, this image of Jesus hangs fom the wall of Mr. Sergio Plaza's shack at Jesus Maria mining town. ×
Faith is an important issue in the life of miners, this image of Jesus hangs fom the wall of Mr. Sergio Plaza's shack at Jesus Maria mining town. ×
documentary photography, photo, image, Black and white art, landscape photography, people, social, artistic, Desert, Atacama, professional photography, travel photography, storytelling of miners, mining, hard, gold
documentary photography, photo, image, Black and white art, landscape photography, people, social, artistic, Desert, Atacama, professional photography, travel photography, storytelling of miners, mining, hard, gold
documentary photography, photo, image, Black and white art, landscape photography, people, social, artistic, Desert, Atacama, professional photography, travel photography, storytelling of miners, mining, hard, gold
documentary photography, photo, image, Black and white art, landscape photography, people, social, artistic, Desert, Atacama, professional photography, travel photography, storytelling of miners, mining, hard, gold
documentary photography, photo, image, Black and white art, landscape photography, people, social, artistic, Desert, Atacama, professional photography, travel photography, storytelling of miners, mining, hard, gold
documentary photography, photo, image, Black and white art, landscape photography, people, social, artistic, Desert, Atacama, professional photography, travel photography, storytelling of miners, mining, hard, gold
documentary photography, photo, image, Black and white art, landscape photography, people, social, artistic, Desert, Atacama, professional photography, travel photography, storytelling of miners, mining, hard, gold
documentary photography, photo, image, Black and white art, landscape photography, people, social, artistic, Desert, Atacama, professional photography, travel photography, storytelling of miners, mining, hard, gold
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Sergio Plaza holds a mix of gold and mercury that weighs around 3 grams in his hand. His predictions were wrong, and this is all that he could get of the 600 Kg of rocks he brought to the mill. After it's burned (to get rid of the mercury and get the pure gold) this will weight 1.5 grams of gold worth aroung US$40. He tells me "bad luck this time...". ×
Sergio Plaza holds a mix of gold and mercury that weighs around 3 grams in his hand. His predictions were wrong, and this is all that he could get of the 600 Kg of rocks he brought to the mill. After it's burned (to get rid of the mercury and get the pure gold) this will weight 1.5 grams of gold worth aroung US$40. He tells me "bad luck this time...". ×
documentary photography, photo, image, Black and white art, landscape photography, people, social, artistic, Desert, Atacama, professional photography, travel photography, storytelling of miners, mining, hard, gold
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