Bloomberg
“Contentious Copper Boom Sparks Existential Mining Crisis in Peru”
Made in assignment for Bloomberg
2025
For one of my latest assignments for Bloomberg, I traveled to the Peruvian Andes together with journalists Marcelo Rochabrun and James Attwood to document a story that goes to the heart of mining conflicts in Peru. In the Indigenous community of Pamputa, local miners have built one of the largest informal copper mines in the world.
For decades, multinational companies have extracted resources from these mountains. In response, the people of Pamputa decided to organize and take control of their own land and economic future. The self-managed mine generates nearly 300 million dollars a year, much of which is reinvested into the village to improve infrastructure and living conditions.
But this experiment in autonomy exists in a legal gray area. In Peru, mineral rights belong to the state and are granted to large companies such as the Chinese MMG Ltd., which holds the concession under Pamputa.
MMG has accused the community of illegal mining and filed more than 100 complaints, while the villagers defend themselves in court and through protests.
The ongoing conflict in Pamputa is more than a local dispute: it reflects a broader crisis in Peru’s mining sector. The government and multinational companies seek to protect billion-dollar investments, while Indigenous communities view these companies as a new form of economic colonization.
Through my photographs and videos, I wanted to show how the money from Pamputa’s mining operation is helping the town grow — a community fighting to transform copper from a symbol of exploitation into one of resistance and survival.
Special thanks to photo editor Marie Monteleone for her trust.
The article was written by Marcelo Rochabrun and James Attwood and published by Bloomberg.
