Francesca Scelfo

Francesca Scelfo

Pallaqueras

2024 , PERÙ
"Aquí tenemos una historia bien triste" - cit. Don Gèrman

Peru is a country rich in mineral resources and one of the world’s leading gold producers. Mining for gold extends across the country from the veins of the Andean mountains to the forest in the floodplains. Illegal and informal mining involves 21 of the country’s 25 regions. Nationwide, there are 86,876 miners registered in the Registro Integral de Formalización Minera (REINFO). 64,356 of these have suspended the procedure, while only 22,520 still keep it active. Arequipa, in the Middle South, is one of the most affected by the phenomenon of informal and illegal mining, along with Madre de Dios, Puno and La Libertad. 

In the hierarchy of roles gravitating around the mine, the last rank is occupied by the pallaqueras, women assigned to the work of manually sorting waste rocks extracted by miners on the slopes of the Andean mountains. The rocks are crushed and then sent to quimbaletes for grinding. The mining process involves the use of mercury or cyanide often without personal protective equipment. 

Their health is at risk from different factors such as: use of obsolete equipment, falling rocks, overexertion, exposure to dust including asbestos, exposure to mercury and other toxic substances. 

Every year, an estimated 70 tons of liquid mercury is lost. Exposure to toxic substances has harmful effects on people’s health, with greater risks for those living near mineral processing centers. In the middle South, in fact, there is a high incidence of respiratory diseases.

Many of them are single mothers, despite the extreme conditions of the work done on the rockfall, and carry on with these rates and conditions due to lack of alternatives. This is the price they have to pay to ensure a better future for their children, at the expense of their own health.

The poor working conditions lead to many difficulties experienced by the pallaqueras in the attempt to survive, and the impact of government control has direct consequences on the lives and rights of women and their children. Mineral wealth leads to an increase in the international price of gold and to a lack of employment alternatives. This is in turn associated with constitutional obstruction of the country’s socio-economic growth and a violation of fundamental human rights. 

Aerial view of the entry points to gold mines found in the rocks in front of the village of Alto Molino. More than a decade ago mining took hold in the cerros of Arequipa province in the Middle South, generating the attraction of the population to these mining centres and consequently their disproportionate growth. The hillside across from Alto Molino, a town on the Rio Grande previously devoted to agriculture, now involves more than 10 mining operations. Perù, Arequipa, Alto Molino. March, 2024.
A pallaquera waits for the strong current to subside fording the Ocoña River that separates the mines from the village of Alto Molino where they live. Perù, Arequipa, Alto Molino. March, 2024.
At dawn a group of pallaqueras women collect rocks containing traces of gold on the mountainside. About 80 pallaqueras from different regions of the country work in the Alto Molino pueblo. After the Covid emergency the work is done in shifts, three days a week from dawn to dusk. Before the health emergency, the pallaqueras worked the same hours every day of the week, including Sundays. Perù, Arequipa, Alto Molino. March, 2024.
To lighten the load and make it easier to gather rocks on the steep slopes, breakfast is eaten before starting the workday. Perù, Arequipa, Alto Molino. March, 2024.
The Señor de los Milagros tunnel stretching for several kilometres. The gold deposits in the Middle South (Ica, Ayacucho and Arequipa) are primary deposits found in volcanic or sedimentary rocks. Of the 16,731 artisanal miners who have started the mining formalisation process in Arequipa, only 26% continue the process. Perù, Arequipa, Alto Molino. March, 2024.
After the overnight shift is over, a group of miners is about to take the cable car. In Condensuyo Province, Rio Grande District, there are 1,533 registers. Of these, 454 are active and 1,079 are suspended. Perù, Arequipa, Alto Molino. March, 2024.
Don German, 51, is a native of the village of Alto Molino where he worked his whole life and the father of five children with two different wives, he is now considered the leader in the operational management of the mines. He told us that one night in March 2022, miners from another side detonated dynamite causing the death of three mining associates as an act of intimidation with the intent of gaining the mining takeover. The absence of formal rules in the mines leads to situations of exploitation and violence, jeopardizing the safety of miners and their families. Perù, Arequipa, Alto Molino. Marzo 2024.
Flor, 18, daughter of pallaquera Gledys, studies pharmacy in Arequipa. She is an exception, most of her peers are already married to miners; others are single mothers resulting from conceptions with miners who work seasonally. Flor occasionally returns to help her mother with field work. Perù, Arequipa, Alto Molino. Marzo, 2024.
Gledys' house displays a shoulder brace that pallaqueras use while working to support their backs. Perù, Arequipa, Alto Molino. Marzo, 2024.
Brianca, 13, is the daughter of Felicita, a pallaquera single mother of two daughters. Felicita comes from Cuzco and has landed in Alto Molino after a shortage of work in her region. Perù, Arequipa, Alto Molino. March, 2024.
Paulina Victoria, 33, is originally from Puno and has been working as a pallaquera in the mines of Alto Molino for 9 years. The roadside houses are prefabricated, with asbestos roofs and recycled wood walls. Renting a room, furnished only with necessities, costs about 200 soles a month, equal to five working days. She has two children, 2-year-old Kendal and 9-year-old Alida. During her work shift, Alida takes care of her little brother. Perù, Arequipa, Alto Molino. March, 2024.
Waste burning is seen near a mining operation. The increase in population, as well as the increase in hydrocarbons due to mining itself, are worsening the condition of areas near the mines. Perù, Arequipa, Alto Molino. Marzo, 2024.
Mauricio, 25, is the son of Emma, 51, who works as a pallaquera and in the quimbaletes. Mauricio has bipolar disorder and he is not comfortable being alone; he is afraid of tackling complicated tasks. He occasionally helps his grandparents in the fields by performing simple tasks. Emma told us that Mauricio was dismissed from school because of a mental disability before completing high school. Perù, Arequipa, Alto Molino. Marzo, 2024.
Sonia, 30, works at the “quimbaletes,” the vats where raw gold is extracted from rock using a mixture with mercury or cyanide. Such vats are clearly visible along a road in the village of Alto Molino, on both the left and right sides. Perù, Arequipa, Alto Molino. Marzo, 2024.
This mining activity takes its name from the adjacent cave dedicated to the Señor de los Milagros, also known as Cristo Scuro, patron saint of the Catholic faith in Peru. The community of Alto Molino is also predominantly Catholic. Women are not allowed to enter as some folk beliefs suggest that their presence may disrupt gold production. Perù, Arequipa, Alto Molino. Marzo, 2024.
Gledys, 50, has five children: Maruja (age 5), Flor (age 18), Francua (age 14), two others who are older live in Arequipa and already have families.She comes from Viraco, first landed at the Secocha mines, and has now been working at the Alto Molino Mine for 7 years. Perù, Arequipa, Alto Molino. March, 2024.
Nelly, 37. She explains that while working she often uses her hands so that she doesn't lose her balance and slip because of her weight. She also uses her teeth to pick up rocks containing gold. In recent years Nelly serves as treasurer for an unrecognised association, the Asociación de Seleccionadoras de mineral Alto Molino. Perù, Arequipa, Alto Molino. March, 2024.
Rest time at the end of the workday before embarking on the crossing home. The pallaqueras wait for the time when the suspension bridge is active to return. The latter is only accessible at certain times and subject to congestion, forcing workers to wait for extended periods of time. Perù, Arequipa, Alto Molino. March, 2024.
At dawn, some workers return from the night shift to make room for those who will be working the day shift. The main factors explaining the growth of this type of mining are related to the sustained rise of the international price of gold, a lack of adequate employment, both in rural and urban areas, and the constitutional weakness of the Peruvian state, which results in a lack of security and supervision on the territory. Perù, Arequipa, Alto Molino. March, 2024.
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