Residents of the Cerrejón mining community


  • Photographer
    Fernando Decillis
  • Prize
    Honorable Mention
  • Company/Studios
    DecillisPhoto
  • Date of Photograph
    July 27, 2011

The mine at Cerrejón in the department of La Guajira in Colombia, is one of the largest opencast coal mines in the world. Since construction began on these mines in 1981, the people of the local areas have experienced drastic changes in their way of life. Land that was once inhabited by the indigenous Wayuu people, is now home to the miners and their families. During some free time I had while shooting a job, I toured the village and met these kids along the way.

Story

The mine at Cerrejón in the department of La Guajira in Colombia, is one of the largest opencast coal mines in the world. Since construction began on these mines in 1981, the people of the local areas have experienced drastic changes in their way of life. Land that was once inhabited by the indigenous Wayuu people, is now home to the miners and their families. During some free time I had while shooting a job, I toured the village and met these kids along the way.

These mines are said to have some of the cleanest burning coal in the world, but the environmental effects can be detrimental. Opencast mining strips the land of topsoil, creates large amounts of dust, and heavy machinery compacts earth, promoting erosion.

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