Francisca in the Salt Mines [Holga]
Maras, Peru / July 11, 2005
(click in the image for a larger version)
The salt mines near Maras, Peru were originally constructed by the Incas and are still being worked to this day. Each salt pool is worked by a family. There are over 5000 such pools on the terraced mountain side. The source of the salt is a small mineral spring that bubbles out of the mountain and is channeled into different levels so that it flows into the many terraces that hold the thousands of small salt pools.
The woman in this photo is named Francisca. She stands in the ankle-deep salty water, barefoot, and scrapes the salt into piles with a small hoe. She is lucky in that her pool is near the main path at the top of the terraces (pictured on the left side of the image). Those with plots lower down the mountain have to carry the heavy bags of salt all the way to the top.
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