Life in La Rinconada is essentially the worst parts of any third-world settlement, except located three miles high in the Peruvian Andes. It's a cold, sad, and dirty place.
The denizens of La Rinconada are among the poorest and most desperate in Peru, willing to risk life and limb to work in toxic conditions, only to find tiny bits of the yellow metal hidden in the dark and dirty ice.
And they get paid in dirt!
The miners get paid under what they call the cachorreo system. Under this system, miners work for 30 days without payment. Then, on the 31st day, they are paid in ore — as much as they can carry home on their shoulders. But whether or not the ore contains any gold is a matter of luck. The cachorreo system is essentially a lottery.
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