High in the Andes Mountains in Peru,
a massive mine is slowly devouring the 400-year-old city of Cerro de Pasco. It has left a gaping hole, deep enough to hold the Empire State Building, in the center of the city. The giant pit covers an area equal to that of about 240 football fields. It continues to expand, eating away at the town around its rim and forcing people from their homes. The mine is also having a negative impact on residents’ health—by poisoning the environment with dangerous chemicals.
Mining operations in Cerro de Pasco date back to the 1600s, when Spanish colonists discovered rich silver deposits there. Later, the area was mined for copper. Until the 1950s, miners used tunnels to extract these metals. Then the largest company mining the area switched to an open-pit mine to extract lead and zinc. The company dug a huge hole instead of underground shafts. It just so happened that deposits of the metals extend directly under the town.
As the mine expanded, workers dumped waste rock around the edges of its pit. The piles, laced with toxic lead and other harmful metals, have grown to the size of small hills. Many lie just yards from houses and schools. Lead-laden dust blows everywhere in the city. Runoff from the mine has contaminated nearby lakes and rivers, turning them a sickly orange and leaving residents without safe drinking water.