Northern Highlands - Peru - page 843

new jobs and an influx of international engineers into Cajamarca, has meant a surge in wealth for the region - but
for many locals, all that glitters is not gold.
According to a joint investigation by the New York Times and the PBS program Frontline World (a US news-
magazine on public TV), the history of the mine is clouded by charges of corruption.
In 2000, a large spill of toxic mercury raised doubts about Yanacocha's priorities: gold over safety seemed to be
the marching cry. The mine makes its profits by washing vast quantities of mountainside with cyanide solution, a
hazardous technique that utilizes masses of water that local farmers also depend on. An internal environmental
audit carried out by the company in 2004 verified villagers' observations that water supplies were being contam-
inated and fish stocks were disappearing.
In the autumn of 2004, disillusioned campesinos (peasants) rallied against the opening of a new mine in the
area of Quilish, and clashed violently with the police employed to protect the mine's interests. After weeks of con-
flict, the company eventually gave in and has since re-evaluated its priorities and improved its safety and environ-
mental record.
In an attempt to quell future mining protests, President Ollanta Humala's administration passed the Prior Con-
sultation Law in 2012, which requires mining companies to negotiate with local communities before initiating any
new extraction projects. Nevertheless, trouble brewed that same year when Newmont's proposed US$4.8 billion
Conga gold and copper mine project set Cajamarca off again. Despite claims from Newmont that the project will
create up to 7000 jobs in the region, inject US$50 billion into the local economy and not harm the region's water-
sheds, locals weren't buying it. Under the slogan 'Conga No Va' (roughly translated as 'No to Conga!'), a far
more serious general regional strike that lasted months brought days of daily marches and protests throughout Ca-
jamarca, Celendín and the surrounding region, resulting in at least eight dead; though it officially ended when a
two-month State of Emergency was declared in July 2012, thing weren't back to 'normal' until September, and off
and on strikes continued at time of writing.
With nearly 50% of Cajamarca's territory concessioned to mining companies, the majority of which encompass
many river sources, this is a prominent issue that doesn't look to disappear anytime soon.
History
In about 1460, the Incas conquered the local Cajamarca populace and Cajamarca evolved
into a major city on the Inca Andean highway linking Cuzco and Quito.
After the death of the Inca Huayna Capac in 1525, the remaining Inca empire, which
then stretched from southern Colombia to central Chile, was pragmatically divided
between his sons, with Atahualpa ruling the north and Huascar the south. Obviously not
everyone was in concord, as civil war soon broke out and in 1532 Atahualpa and his vic-
torious troops marched southward toward Cuzco to take complete control of the empire.
Parked at Cajamarca to rest for a few days, the Inca emperor was camped at the natural
thermal springs, known today as Los Baños del Inca, when he heard the news that the
Spanish were nearby.
Francisco Pizarro and his force of 168 Spaniards arrived in Cajamarca on November
15, 1532, to a deserted city; most of its 2000 inhabitants were with Atahualpa at his hot-