Resilient and resourceful, Brazil’s illegal gold capital resists government crackdown
ITAITUBA, Brazil — José Maria Silva de Souza starts preparations early. Better known as Zé Maria, he has many stops to make before heading to his gold mine. A stop at the supermarket to buy groceries, another at the gas station. At another point, four workers climb into the back of his truck. A bit farther on, a woman who works as a cook also joins the team. Before 11 a.m., the loaded white truck is flying at almost 100 kilometers per hour (60 miles per hour) over a muddy dirt road, making it hard for our car to keep up.
Zé Maria is in a rush. Since federal environmental agents burned two of his backhoes a few weeks ago, his mines have stopped working — and he’s losing money. “Here we live off mining, right?” the strong 55-year-old, whose gray beard contrasts against his black skin, told Mongabay. “And the government is right on top of us, and we can’t work.”
After driving more than 90 km (56 mi), we leave the cars by the side of the road and walk around 30 meters (100 feet) to the margins of the forest. In the middle of the trees, a scorched machine standing 3 m (10 ft) high seems strangely out of place. “We brought it here to try to hide it,” Zé Maria says.
