“We are equal here. We are one family. When we shake out the rugs, I can relax from all the working stress. The guys joke, we talk about different stuff and we are all together. And it's important that you work with pleasure and do things properly."

After the working day, the miners shake out the rugs where the mud containing gold particles has accumulated — they call it "the moment of truth." Then they wash the mud to get the arenilla. Afterwards, quicksilver will be added to it to extract the gold.
Miners respect the hierarchy, even when they go for a drink in a bar. Normally, the workers don't get together with the concession owners. But when they shake out the carpets, this difference fades as the shared task unites them.

"It was exactly 11.45 p.m. and I was driving a front-loader when our camp was attacked by robbers. I drove towards the main building and they shot at me from different directions. I raised the front-loader's bucket to protect myself, but one of the bullets hit me, and my legs wouldn't move. The pain was unbearable. I pretended to be dead, otherwise they would have finished me off. I lay in the cabin, thought of my daughters and begged God not to let the robbers kill me... When I was working, we didn't lack for anything, everything was good. Now I'm really worried, because I can't work. What should I do? I am lost. The doctors tell me I will be in a wheelchair. It's a disaster. It's incredible what has happened."

Félix was shot in the spine, which paralysed his legs. His disability threatens his capacity to look after his family, though his former employer supports him at his own initiative. The mining camps often attract robbers on the lookout for easy gold. The remote locations and the law of the jungle turn miners into easy victims.

"I'm a coca addict. Without coca I don't have any desire to work. I have chewed coca leaves since the age of 12. My parents used to grow coca."

"When you see something that you feel might be gold, go get it, even if it is shaped like a snake, even if it is shaped like a locust — just go get it. If you are lucky, gold simply comes to you of its own accord."

Miners construct small holy shrines in the camps to donate things to "Pachamama" (Mother Earth) and other gods. It's done in a simple way, but not without grace, and the offerings to gods include alcohol and cigarettes.

"That day we were not working, as it had been raining for a long time. There was some problem with the engine too. So what do we do? We went to the pond, and I said to Rómulo: 'Look, that's not a dog there, is it?' And he said: 'I'll go get a rifle, that's a peccary.' I hid, but the peccary still noticed me and charged at me — they are very aggressive. I was wearing tall boots and kicked the animal as much as I could. At that moment our dog, Lobo, attacked the peccary and the fight began. Rómulo arrived too and shot three times, but didn't get it, and the peccary wounded the dog badly, as their tusks are long and sharp. But Rómulo managed to get closer and shot the peccary in the head. We took the beast away with us and had a great dinner."

"Nothing is sure with this job, anything can happen to you. You don't earn money easily here. To earn something you have to work 12 hours a day, till you practically drop. The more you give, the more you get, the less you give, the less you get. You do it so that you can afford something later."

"Concession owners are called 'bulls' in local slang, and workers are called 'jackals.' 'Huaychulero' is the lowest position. These workers learn how to drive the machines, and then in their next camp they can present themselves as drivers. If you are a good driver, you don't let them lower your payment. A good driver speaks about 'his' production, as he can distinguish between gold-containing soil and useless mud. Otherwise, you just load the trucks for the sake of loading, but the soil you load contains no gold."

"For as long as we have no better technology, we'll just work in the only way we can afford to. That's why I say that we are orphans — nobody takes care of us. And that's how we'll stay as long as the state lacks the courage to bring together those who could influence it."

"First the father of my children came here to open a business. His friends invited him. Why? Because there was money to be made here. It was the gold rush. I arrived in 1999 to look for my man, and I stayed here. At first I wondered what I would do in this village. I thought I would move back straight away, as I came from a city, and this is a no-man's village. It was a completely different life for me. But look, I'm still here today."

"This is not the biggest one, some are even bigger."