Women Gold Miners

Photo essays

Jan Sochor Photography

Photo essays, photojournalism series, documentary and travel photography

Gold mining makes one of very few work opportunities in the inhospitable jungle region on the pacific coast of Colombia.

Hundreds of women miners digging the goldbearing mud to find gold and platine in the open mines of Choco, Colombia.

There are mainly women panning gold in the Agua Clara opencut near Tadó.

Colombian women miners panning gold in the Agua Clara opencut near Tado, Colombia.

Goldminers are predominantly Afro Colombians, descendants of African slaves brought there by Spanish conquistadores.

Goldminers of Choco are predominantly Afro Colombians, descendants of African slaves brought to Colombia by Spanish conquistadores.

Although some heavy machinery arrived to Choco gold mines in the last years, the prevailing technique of extracting gold is still gold panning. It is locally called "bareque".

The prevailing technique of extracting gold in Choco (Colombia) is gold panning. It is locally called “bareque”.

Many women gold miners do not have rubber boots, some do not have any shoes. There is a high risk of injury because the moving mud is full of sharp rocks and rests of jungle trees.

A barefoot woman digging the goldbearing mud in the river San Juan, Choco, Colombia.

Gold mining leaves the Chocó jungle environmentally damaged. Removing the vegetation cover and forming pools of standing water cause the increase of mosquito population and malaria respectively.

Gold mining leaves the Choco jungle (Colombia) environmentally damaged. Removing the vegetation cover and forming pools of standing water cause the increase of mosquito population and malaria respectively.

Nearly all women gold miners complain of a backache. They suffer from malaria, tropical fevers and parasitic deseases due to the working conditions.

Women gold miners bending over to pan gold in a mine in Choco, Colombia.

The gold panning technique is based on a different weight of elements. Gold nuggets are denser than a rock so they settle to the bottom of the pan.

The gold panning technique used in Choco (Colombia) is based on a different weight of elements. Gold nuggets are denser than a rock so they settle to the bottom of the pan.

The woman goldminer digging goldbearing earth. They do not pay for panning, the mine owners let them glean in the hole after the rich part has been already excavated by machines.

The Colombian woman goldminer digging goldbearing earth in the opencut near Tado, Colombia.

The daily earnings of goldminers do not reach over a couple of dollars but every barequero is totally convinced that thousands of dollars can be made here.

A woman gold miner having a short cigarette break during a hot day in the open mines of Choco, Colombia.

The gold pan filled with goldbearing mud and rocks weighs about ten-fifteen kilograms. Goldminers carry it to the water pool to get washed. It can be washed in ten minutes approximately.

A woman gold miner filling her gold pan with goldbearing mud in the opencut near Tado, Colombia.

According to the Colombian statistics 70 percent of the whole Choco population is either active in the gold and platine mining or closely connected to it.

Young barefoot girl digging the goldbearing mud to find gold or platine in the open mines of Choco, Colombia.

Women Gold Miners

Chocó department, western Colombia – October 2004

Chocó is a no man's land. The large inaccessible rainforest jungle area in the western lowlands of Colombia is mainly inhabited by Afro Colombian population, descendents of African slaves. High presence of malaria, guerilla drug traffic routes, tropical deseases and only an irregular river transport makes this region virtually lost. Gold that is found in the jungle rivers of Chocó is the only hope for many although they never find what they dream about. Women goldminers work in a hot tropical humid climate, miring in the goldbearing mud, searching for the gold and platine dust. They will never give up their effort simply because there is no other way to live off.

Photography by Jan Sochor

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