In Peru’s gold-rich Amazonian region of Madre de Dios (the Mother of God), the global demand for the precious metal has incentivized migration from the Andes to the Amazon. Facilitating this rainforest gold rush is the construction of the Interoceanic Highway across the South American continent. The illegal mining industry’s reliance on quicksilver (liquid mercury) means that the toxic heavy metal enters Amazonian waterways, soil, and air, contributing to a toxic load called a body burden. According to a leaked report, indigenous Amazonian communities—not just downstream, but also upstream from mining operations—show high levels of contamination.
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