The pit is the result of four centuries of mining in the region, and is now taking its toll. Environmental pollution caused by current and former mining companies is piling up. Literally, in the form of heaps of mining waste around and within the town, but the water, the air and the children of Cerro de Pasco are also bearing the brunt of it. Metals such as arsenic, lead and cadmium are making people ill.
And the pit is getting bigger. Part of the town has already disappeared into the pit, and cracked houses line its edge. Miners’ camps stand empty, as the company no longer offers permanent contracts. Yet many of the 67,000 Cerreños do not want to leave, and new neighbourhoods are being built around the pit. Cerro de Pasco is part of their identity, and mining is part of Pasco’s identity.
