The economic enigma of the spirits who own gold: small-scale gold mining in South America

Abstract

I discuss three qualitative questions: How do small-scale mining activity spaces experience secularization in Andean countries of South America such as Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru? What cultural support do small-scale miners have to put into practice their coexistence with nature and their daily lives?; How is small-scale mining similar to and different from hegemonic society? Methodologically, I develop 14 ethnographies; my professional experience of almost 17 years in the processes described is my main qualitative contribution. I conducted my ethnography for 4 years, 2012–2016, in the indicated countries, collecting information from semi-structured interviews (160), focus groups (20), family trees (4), and participant observation. The real names of the miners or their associations are not used as a form of protection. The miners experience their religious diversity based on Andean animism, which has been adapted from agricultural to mining spaces. This ritual is expressed in a payment ritual that demonstrates that, despite being a traditionally male activity, it ritualizes women and promotes verbal agreements to avoid conflict. In short, small-scale mining remains on the periphery of hegemonic society.