Madre de Dios

Ventura, California | +1.267.882.8378 | darylpeveto@luceoimages.com

$In the jungle near Laberinto Island, Peru, Feb. 8, 2007 - A miner sifts though his crew\'s day\'s work of gold, which is mixed here with mercury to separate it from the dirt and ore. Once it is clean, the mercury is burnt off, with only the gold remaining. In an effort to save money and a feeble attempt to prevent too much mercury getting into the environment, the gas is captured in the process and most of it returned for reuse. Even so, mercury contamination is the principle environmental problem brought about by artisanal mining in the region. The indiscriminate and inefficient use of mercury for gold amalgamation, have been the cause of large quantities being lost and introduced into the environment in both liquid form or in the form of gasses. It is estimated that 70 tons a year are lost in the Madre de Dios region alone.$

Madre de Dios

Madre de Dios is considered Peru’s final frontier. Located in the southeast corner of the country in the jungles of the Amazon, it is the poorest region in terms of economics, but perhaps the richest in natural resources. Gold has been rediscovered and with it, goldmining. Artisinal mining – single person or family base skimming has given way to larger companies, who are devestating the land and exporting both the resources and much of the profits. What is left behind is an ecological mess in terms of deforestation and mercury poisoning.

Find these photos in our archive »

MORE GALLERIES

Fear & Loathing on the Tea Party Express

In times of great economic uncertainty, populist sentiment and calls for change always percolate in equal measure to the degree of anxiety. Given the difficult times we ... More
[re]SOURCE (in progress)

A resource is described as any physical or virtual entity of limited availability that needs to be consumed to obtain a benefit from it. We often measure ... More
Persian Gulf

A look at the Persian Jewish Community in Los Angeles during the Jewish holiday of Purim and Nowruz, the Persian New Year. Purim is a Jewish holiday that ... More
LA Summer Fashion

The assignment was this simple, set out on the streets of LA with NY Stylist Mobolaji Dawodu and two duffles full of designer clothing and jewelry and ... More
American Nomads

A central goal of the American Dream is to one day own your own home. Yet our beginnings were forged out of another, antithetical idea: that of ... More
LA Portraits

A selection of portraits of LA's youth for FADER Magazine.
Dancing With The Devil

In his novel Death in the Afternoon, Ernest Hemingway said that bullfighting was “the only art in which the artist is in danger of death and in ... More
The Other Path

Like many emerging market-based economies throughout South America, Africa, and even many of the former Soviet republics, Peru is a case study in both the tumultuous nature ... More
Madre de Dios

Madre de Dios is considered Peru's final frontier. Located in the southeast corner of the country in the jungles of the Amazon, it is the poorest region ... More

BIOGRAPHY

Daryl Peveto is a photographer with a passion for social documentary storytelling. He is a graduate of the Visual Journalism Program at Brooks Institute, where he interned at The Ventura County Star and the San Diego Union-Tribune. Over the last few years he has worked issues ranging from American nomads to the black market economies of Peru to active octogenarians, which has been recognized by Photo District News, College Photographer of the Year and the National Press Photographers Association. He lives in Southern California with his wife Jennifer and their son Finn Maddox. His clients have included TIME Magazine, Newsweek, FADER Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, US News & World Report, AARP, Der Spiegel, Verdens Gang, The New York Times, MSNBC, NBC NIghtly News, ABC Television and Marriott Hotels.