* The Incas considered it
the messenger of the gods, A guide, who accompanied the dead
to the beyond. 5 centuries later The condor always has a lot to do. In the Peruvian Andes,
the Cotahuasi Canyon. A deep hole of 3 and a half kilometers. This abyss has swallowed up more than one driver. And the condor, Was there to guide their souls. You believe in God ? Yes, otherwise I won't be driving
on such roads. The road is broken,
rotten to the end. Nobody dares to look out the window. A technique that allows
passengers to remain calm. And then, anyway, everyone prefers
face his fear rather than fatigue. A few years ago, These 35 kilometers of tracks, Traveled on foot. Before, the trail went through this tunnel. This is where people
walked with the mules. Stones, stones! It's always like that, The stones keep falling
and we have to clear them. They come off on their own because
the rock is very friable. In the Cotahuasi Canyon,
no one is forcing the way. The little ones bow. Better not be in a hurry. This is exactly the philosophy of
driver of this van. For Rosendo, patience is before
a whole passport for life. * This canyon is like a trap, We meet sometimes 1 month or 2
with the road destroyed. But we still try to get through. * This is my land. It is the most beautiful valley in the world. She is hot as the mouth of the devil. The mouth of the devil, it burns, Because the devil, he spits fire. For centuries the devil has
surveyed the Andes cordillera, In the form of the conquistadors. Reducing the Incas to the status of slaves. The tracks that line these mountains, Follow the paths they used to take
their backs laden with gold and silver. Peru is full of precious minerals. And yet, the descendants of the Incas have
tend to say that they live in a rich country, Peopled by the poor. Survival is often paid
in defiance of danger. Do you have the rod for the dynamite? That's dynamite. With that, there, we have 2 minutes
before it explodes. * There's gold, look!
Here, there is a glint of gold. But in Peru, gold can take many forms, Like bird droppings. It is one of the best fertilizers in the world. Harvesting it is a real pain. Ammonia is strong. Ammonia affects the lungs. The oldest do not resist this work. Peru is developing at high speed, But at what cost ? To open up the villages, The tracks are sometimes
quickly drawn. Residents suffer the consequences Even if their life improves. * Before, we put 2 or 3
days to go to town. Now, we put 4h. Over time, Peru has become
the land of strong men. When they founded the city of Trujillo, The conquistadors were not mistaken. Its climate between 22 and
30 degrees all year round, In fact the city of eternal spring. But this is not its only asset. built by the sea, They could send quickly to Spain, Gold and silver from the Andes. These mines continue to be exploited. And they are a good vein for
Conchuelo and her husband Lucho. Another 5 or 6 bricks? Yes, 5 or 6 The trading couple provides the miners, In bricks, sodas, beer,
flour and other foodstuffs. In all, 20 tons to transport,
despite the hazards of the road. When there are difficult passages,
we manage as we can. And if we have to clear the road, we do it. To preserve their vegetables from the heat, Lucho and Conchuelo depart
At nightfall. 373 kilometers separate them from
the mining town of Retamas. 20 hours of road on the side of a precipice. They hope to arrive on Saturday
at the end of the afternoon, The best time to sell
their 500 cases of beer, In the bars of the city. The couple does not roll on gold, But their business allows them to send
their two children to school. Lisnet, 15, is never very reassured
to see them hit the road. Come on, my daughter, I'm leaving. Take care of yourself! Next week I'll be back. * The road is very bad and that
always scares me a little. But I know that God accompanies them. * Let's go ! By counting on God, so that
the trip is going well. * We are sad to leave
the children behind us. You never know what may
arrive when we are not there. * We are worried, but hey,
we have no other job. This truck is what makes us live. Lucho is driving alone. He didn't plan any stops. But 8 p.m. behind the wheel, Don't stand without
using a stimulant, Inherited from the Incas. We take coke to hold on
all night and not fall asleep. Here, most of the drivers chew coca. Lucho fights against the road,
but not only. In some places, like this climb
which leads to a pass at 3500 meters above sea level, The speed of his truck drops to 20 km/h. He could relax. However, he redoubles his vigilance. I always look at the 2 mirrors, Like that, I see the thieves coming. Once here they were waiting for me
hidden in a cassava field. They came up from behind. They tore up my tarp and they
started taking all my goods. There, when they want to arrest you, They block your way with stones. Unable to pass. From the moment they arrest you, They come out with guns. At the top of the pass, the danger averted, Lucho launches into the slope. He accelerates
and take risks. If we don't arrive in time, customers
buy from other traders first, And we stay with our beers on our hands. The euphoria of speed him
overlooks a detail. His truck is weighed down
20 tons of goods. I braked a lot! Was it too much? Brakes overheated? Yes, my truck is loaded and
I descended very quickly. I pressed too hard on the brakes,
it got very hot. I should have gone slower. * We are going to rest for half an hour, 1 hour
and we're off right away. * The precious minutes gleaned on the descent, are therefore lost. But this is not the most serious. Lucho and his wife let each other
win by sleep. They slept 1 hour more. 1 hour that now needs to be made up. In the early morning, no time for a coffee, He restarts with his feet on the floor. We'll go as far as we can
to arrive as soon as possible. * Focus, focus. And it is better. The track does not forgive any deviation. Drivers rarely get up
big dive. Although, sometimes a lucky star accompanies them. This van made a
fall of more than 30 meters. Stopped by shrubs, Its driver escaped unscathed. The van was carrying fruit
and she turned around, She ended up downstairs. I don't know how the driver
went off the track, They took him to the hospital. Come on, go ahead, step back! Pull, pull, pull! Hey take it easy, I'll go check it out. * If they persist in reassembling it, It's not to rid
the ravine of a carcass. * We'll fix it.
We are good. With an average salary of €370, In Peru, recovery is compulsory. It's flat! Moreover, on his side, Lucho pays dearly for not buying
only used tires. Here, it is this nail which
punctured the tire. The problem is that we
risk of arriving at night. And there, nothing can be done. Customers will not buy our beers. Business is looking bad
for Lucho and Conchuelo, Especially since they still have to face
the most perilous passage of the journey, Marañon river canyon. Driving in the Andes
asks for wisdom, Of self-control. Tracks win every year
dozens of people. Come on, let's go, we'll load all this. Rosendo is a winemaker. His vine lies at coast
end of the Cotahuasi Canyon. A crossing of 35 kilometers, On the most dangerous track in the region. The winemaker is one of the few inhabitants
local to owning a car. The bus only runs twice a day. So he willingly plays taxis. -Is she still sick, the little one?
- Yes, she is still sick. We went to work in the fields, She took a heat stroke
while sitting in the sun. Maybe it should
take him to the hospital? When he rolls, Rosendo does not
don't ask too many questions. Ravine or not, he has entirely
confidence in his conduct, And in his van
20 years old. This car, it passes
well in the ruts. It is old, but it is very solid. Go slowly, me, it bores me! As long as the car holds up,
You have to put the gum. The pick up is close to 40 km/h. Look how dangerous it is here. If you leave the track, you end up at the
bottom of the ravine, in the river. Here, a van went off the road. The driver got away
He got lucky. A post held him back. Otherwise, he would go straight into the precipice, And ended at the bottom, there,
300 meters below. -There is a truck coming.
-Where ? He is over there, in the bend. Here, we can meet, right? It's hard to meet here. It's very narrow
should be expanded. A sweet unattainable dream. The track is just 8 years old. Excavators are not
not ready to come back. Nevertheless, it is already a
progress for Rosendo. Before, it took 2 days to
reach his vineyard on the back of a mule. The biggest problem
comes mainly from the walls. The rock is friable. It collapsed here and there
road was washed out. We couldn't pass. So with logs, We made a bridge and rolled over it. Wait, I'll show you. That's how it happened. Slow down, slow down! Spin the wheel. There, it's good, slowly! It was dangerous and I had
afraid that the van would fall. Go slow, release the brake. It's not going there, no, no... No! There, it's good. Keep on going. But here we are used to
to this kind of situation. It's good, well done! * Be careful there, look, Look at this stone
how it will fall. She went to the bottom. you can't go out
from there alive, if you fall. Cotahuasi Canyon, Lives up to its nickname of Mouth of the devil. I was born here in the mouth of the devil. These are my lands. When I was a child, I grew up with this river. What I liked here was to fish
trout and crayfish. Bathe me and spend all
the day stretched out on the rocks, Like a lizard. * This land I have
inherited from my family. It's a part of my life. The vine has arrived in the
region with the conquistadors. Rosendro cultivates it as in the 16th century. When the season comes, he still feels
the grape with the feet. All that wood is for the vines. * We'll take him up there with my workers. Without the aid of any machine, Rosendro produces every year
5000 liters of wine. It fits like this. My dream is to
to be able to export my wine. Little by little, we can get there. Make a living in Peru, Requires sweat, willpower. Earth is often inhospitable. So imagine, When the only way to
making a living is in the middle of the desert. His profession, this man exercises it
confines of the Paracas desert. the desert expanse, Flows into the Pacific, Not with a nice beach, But with a cliff. If he wants to earn a few soles, Chicoca is going to have to take her down. This rock there, it is very solid. He never left me. It is well attached to the cliff.
He's not moving. He's strong as a bull! Strong as an elephant! 60 meters downhill
without any security. Finally, yes, a little warm-up. * I do this to increase
the strength in my arms. * Is this rope strong? Yes ! How many years old is she? She's 10. Listen to the sea as it resonates. She has a beautiful voice. She mostly tells me
Do not go away ! Stay ! You are going to have a good catch. Chicoca is perhaps the only one
mountaineer fisherman in the world. * Here, there were 3 deaths. They let go. They had cramps. They didn't warm up
like me before coming down. * So why does he take
so many risks? In fact, this place is
a natural reserve. Fish abounds. Net fishing is prohibited, Only the line is tolerated. Chicoca does not therefore suffer
no competition, Or almost... Here are the sea lions. They are happy
when I come to see them. They know me. This one is the one
who always comes to greet me. You see ? Baby, my little one.
How is it going ? * On average, the fisherman comes up nearly
20 kilos of fish per day. But today, nothing bites. Yes, these friends the sea lions, have made
flee part of the fish, And the swell did the rest. The fish have gone offshore. The sea is too strong,
there is nothing to fish. His day is not wasted, Chicoca also resells seaweed at the market. But here too, the harvest is meager. At age 66, exercise becomes
each time more difficult. Chicoca spends several
weeks in the desert. The man does not have the means, To waste gasoline for
go home every night, 35 kilometers away. I rest for tomorrow. Tomorrow we have to go fishing again. These are rooster feather bait, I make them. It's been 20 days since he
there is no fish. I will stay 30 days from
more before heading home. To be able to bring back
fish to my family. This is the life of a fisherman. Between the hot brakes and the puncture, Lucho and Conchuelo lost
almost half a day. Retamas the city of gold diggers
is still 60 kilometers away. The Couple plans to sell 500 cases there
of beer on the weekend. But there, it went wrong. Even if he increases his cruising speed, Lucho is faced with a major problem. It attacks the most
dangerous from the mountain. A winding track, Of which the dust which emerges from it, Often obscures the view of drivers. When we ride here,
we have to be very careful. If you relax a little,
you risk going off the track. You have to be in the middle
and especially not to fall asleep. On this road, no
error is not allowed. There have been many deaths here,
quantities of deaths. They missed a turn and they
ended up at the bottom of the ravine. Lucho lifts his foot, Especially since he has to start over
twice on hairpin bends. * When they enter Retamas, Lucho and Conchuelo have been riding for 26 hours already. 26 hours of risk and fatigue, For nothing. The evening is already well advanced. The streets of Retamas are almost empty. It will take 4 days for the couple, To sell their 500 cases of beer. Two more days than expected away from their daughter. By night, the streets of the city of gold, Look like so many veins. During the day, the image is less brilliant. Retamas looks like a tangle
construction huts, With a tin roof. The city only lives
for its gold mines. For centuries, miners
transform the Andes into Gruyère. Gold fever has taken hold
of Carlos, fourteen years ago. At the time, he was exhausted in the
coffee and cocoa fields, For a pittance. Today it is still exhausted, But he makes a much better living. €500 per month, i.e. double the
minimum wage in Peru. He took his brother on board the adventure, And recently, his son and his nephew. The small family operates an abandoned mine. It was not profitable enough
for the industrialist who exploited it. Will you manage to evacuate them? Yes, no problem. There is Tito who helps us. With each descent, it's a little
a lottery for life, So the mine is dilapidated. Due to the pressure of
rock and humidity, The wood doesn't last long, look. By touching it, it crumbles. And with the added pressure,
it breaks it. When the mine was
operated by a consortium, There was an accident
which caused one death. I think that's part of the reason
that they abandoned this mine. To communicate with the surface,
70 meters higher, They have an ingenious system, Straight out of childhood. That's our phone.
That's how we communicate. Up, shoot! Downstairs, we shoot? PULL ! At the time of its industrial exploitation, The mine yielded hundreds of
pounds of precious metal. * Today, the little family derives
only one and a half kilograms each year. * Do you see there?
It's the vein. Is that where the gold is? Yes. He is here. Clear the vein with a pickaxe
would take too long. The men use explosives. Do you have the rod for the dynamite? * That's dynamite and
that, the detonator. So what we're doing here,
it is quite a dangerous operation. And you have to know how to handle the explosive. * With that, we have two minutes. 2 minutes before it explodes. * Exploding, dynamite
releases toxic gases. There's a lot of gas. And the dust is such, That the air is unbreathable. My nostrils! How long is the wait ? Half an hour, 1 hour. 1 hour later... There's gold, look! Here, there is a glint of gold. Each month, Carlos and his family, Extract about 5 tons of ore, To recover 125 grams of gold. It's not huge,
but that is enough to live. We want to educate our children. But we barely get to them
pay for their studies up to high school! Beyond that, we don't have the means. And our children end up like
abandoned by the system, And left to their own fate. * How many kilos are in this cart? 1000! 1 ton ! * It drains us of all our energy, And that's just a minecart. Sometimes we take out 9 a day. * Every year, Peru extracts
nearly 171 tons of gold, And 4000 silver. The country is also rich in
many other minerals, But also oil and gas. This tremendous windfall, Maintains a strong economy, And poverty has gone down
50% in 10 years. But despite everything, the infrastructures,
they grow slowly. Get down to town do
full of food, And is every time a source
concern for Renutario. Get on, get on here. I pray to God for
don't die on the road. Lets' go. His village is at the gates of the Amazon, At a distance of 80 km on a track barely
wider than the taxi driving it. Don't miss this trail! It's dangerous, yes,
but that's life ! Every day, we have to challenge it. This stretch is just a few months old. Although extremely dangerous, It changes everyone's life
the inhabitants of the mountains. We don't walk as much anymore. Before, it took 2, 3 days
to go into town, Buy our provisions and bring them back. Now, we put 4h. The track is not completely finished. There are still 10 km to dig, But the machines don't progress
only 4 km per year. Not to mention the landslides and
other pavement collapses. Here is the end of my race. Going further is prohibited. The trail continues a bit
but there are works. Renutario ends the journey on foot. There is a 2 hour walk to his village. If she starts kicking,
the goods will fall. Tighten a little more.
There, it's good. Digging a track in these mountains
is always a dangerous operation. The construction of it, Has already cost the life of a worker. It is a dangerous area. We have to take all
necessary precautions. Our Father who art in heaven, We are gathered to ask you to
guide us and protect us. Amen. Hang in there ! * Once, my mule to rush here,
with all my provisions. At 66, Renutario does not lack energy. The 2 hours of walking, he does them
at no load. This journey will remain for a long time
the only way to get to his village. It is not expected that the
new track arrives so far. But his closeness still comes out
these inhabitants from their isolation. That's coke
there, yucca. And there, we plant pineapples. Before, we sowed just to eat
and we couldn't sell anything. With a mule, it cost us 50 cents
the kilo to transport our goods. For instance, The yucca is sold for 50 cents
the kilo at the market. Exactly what the shipping cost us. There was no point in going to sell it. * Whereas today, with a car,
it costs us 5 cents per kilo. Life changed with the road. Life is gradually improving in the Andes. These rustic living conditions, Forged a line of men
particularly hard on evil. The Montagnards are almost
the only ones who can bear One of the hardest jobs in the world. It is exercised on the islands which
border the Peruvian coasts. Like on the island of Asia. * The city dwellers who risk it, Don't last very long. And it's not Edwin
who will tell us otherwise. * Many of those who come for
the first time only one month left, Fifteen days, sometimes only one week. They don't care
work, smells. They crack, they are not used to
to work so hard. Those who hold on,
they are the old ones. Those who are already accustomed
to work here. * These extreme workers win
double the minimum wage. But at what cost ? The days begin
from 5 a.m. Go to work... * 464. * This fingerprint time clock, 61. And the only concession to modernity. For the rest, the men find themselves
plunged several centuries back. * We use the pickaxe because
the ground is hard. What's annoying is the dust. That's why I put myself
a scarf over his face. All are there to collect guano, That is, bird droppings. It's one of the best
natural fertilizers in the world. Pelicans, boobies, cormorants, Millions of birds colonize
the Peruvian Islands. It takes between 10 and 15 years to find
a layer of dejection 2 meters thick. Harvesting is done by hand, Because machines are prohibited. For the good reason that she
scare away the birds, And degrade their natural environment. However, it would be very useful to the workers. The working conditions are terrible. The smell of rotting droppings
is almost unsustainable. * Ammonia is strong! Ammonia, it affects the lungs. The older ones
not resist this work. * To be assigned to the sieve
is a real torture. The dust is constant there. But no jealousy. No one escapes this task. It's raw guano in it, There are feathers, pebbles, That's why we have to sort it out. * Here is what was
sieved by the machine. We removed the feathers. That's what we get on the boats. * Every day, men extract
50 tons of guano. How many bags do you carry each day? 100, a hundred! On the climbs, it gets tiring. And there is something. The bags weigh about 50 kilos. * The people of the city
not resist this work. It's a tough job. They don't hold up. We, as we come from the earth, We are used to working hard
with pickaxes at night. * Hold on, but at what cost? Especially since the island is teeming with ticks
brought by birds. She goes up, she stings you
and she sucks your blood. That's an allergy because of guano. It swells like that and it
there is pus forming. And then afterwards, it explodes. The Ministry of Agriculture,
who manages his guano campaigns, Provides masks well, But no one wears them. * In these masks there, The filter fills with dust
and we can't breathe. Dust gets into eyes. We are missing glasses. But glasses, do you have any there? Yes, but they do not go,
they are not good. It's no use. The only advantage for these workers
to come and work in this hell, Is to be able to save on fees. They are fed and housed, But the conditions are
more than Spartans. On the island there is no fresh water. A tanker delivers it every week. The precious liquid is rationed, Only 8 liters per day for
wash and do laundry. The trick is to put on your clothes
down while showering. You have to save water. But you still have to wash well, Because guano makes a lot of dirt
and it gnaws at the skin. Once the work is finished, Distractions are rare on the island. * It's to take care of. There's nothing else to do here,
aside from sports or going fishing. If not, what do you want us to do? It's true, it looks like a prison here. * We miss the family very much. But what can we do about it? It is with this work that we feed them, And we dress them. * Our loved ones must understand this, Even if psychologically it is hard. Since the departure of the Spaniards in 1824, Peru has suffered several dictatorships, And a Maoist guerrilla, who made tens
of thousands of victims. But today, thanks to
the strength of these men, The country takes off.
