La Rinconada - Highest Settlement In The World

La Rinconada is a permanent settlement located by the Andes Mountains of Peru which is uniquely at 5,000 meters above sea level. The village is situated by a gold mine and is recognized as the highest settlement in the world.

If you plan to visit this place someday then you should bear in mind that the city does not have any running water nor does it have a proper sewage system or waste disposal.

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History of The Existence of La Rinconada City

The settlement of La Rinconada was born from the gold mining activities in the area. It was estimated that around 30,000 people live in this city which is a considerable amount due to how remote the location is from other humans.

The population increases dramatically between 2001 and 2009 due to the expansion of mining camps. The high influx of workers from the outside is influenced by the rising price of gold by 235% in this period.

The city's position at 5,100 meters altitude means that the area is very cold similar to Greenland. Even in the summer, it will be slightly humid and cold. The average temperature in La Rinconada is around 1.2 °C all year around.

Lives in La Rinconada

Even though the place looks like a city, the reality is that it is a slum area. There are no roads, drainage systems, or sewage. The houses are mostly made out of layers of tins. All the men will work at the mine whereas the women will focus on businesses like finding traces of gold or even selling off their bodies.

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The air, water, and snow by the hills of La Rinconada is highly polluted. If La Rinconada was seen as a city, it is perhaps one of the poorest cities in the world where the people are struggling to make ends meet.

A High-Risk Work Job

The mine workers are said to be in a sad situation as they are left with no proper tools and are exposed to mercury. Mercury is the second most abundant element found in La Rinconada and most of the people here are at risk for cancer due to prolonged exposure.

The strange thing is that most of the mines here are not owned by any enterprises or rich individuals. In other words, most of the mining activities here are done illegally without any proper regulations from the authorities.

The economy in this city is mostly unregulated and almost all of the gold obtained are sold in the black market. The workers are basically working day jobs just to continue their survival.

The Use of The Cachorreo System

There are, however, some mines that are owned by certain companies like Corporación Ananea. Unlike other companies who paid their workers regularly or time based, this company operates using an ancient work system known as cachorreo.

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In the modern world, this system might be seen as an exploit to the workers. In this system, the workers will work 30 days without any salary. However, on the 31st, each worker is allowed to take as much gold as they can carry.

This means that their salary is highly dependent on how much gold they manage to take out from the mine. Even though such an ancient system was in place, many outsiders stormed here between 2001 and 2009 due to the rising price of gold.

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