La Rinconada, the city closest to space and where breathing is a problem

@ElentirENG ES 3·12·2024 · 23:08 0

Living close to heaven may seem like an idyllic idea until you discover certain drawbacks, especially the lack of oxygen.

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In the southeast of Peru there is a city whose neighbors can testify to these inconveniences. It is called La Rinconada, it is located in the Andes mountain range and has more than 11,000 inhabitants, who live at 5,100 meters above sea level, which makes this population the city at the highest altitude of the world.

This population is strongly linked to mining. In fact, in La Rinconada there is the highest mine in the world, and it is a gold mine, a fact that explains why so many people have decided to settle in such a remote place where breathing is a problem. At that altitude there is approximately half as much oxygen as at sea level, which causes nausea and headaches for visitors who come to the town. You need a stay of one month to acclimatize.

To this problem we must add the absence of a sewage network, which is why La Rinconada has serious unhealth problems, which are aggravated by mercury pollution caused by mining extractions. Likewise, the power lines are very chaotic, with a multitude of cables passing over the streets. In addition, this site has a high mountain climate, so it is cold even in summer. The highest average temperatures have been recorded in October and are around 11ºC, while the lowest ones fall to -11.6ºC. The average annual temperature is only 1.3ºC, so all its neighbors wear warm winter clothing all year round.

La Rinconada also has a serious insecurity problem, which has led some media to describe it as a lawless city. It is very dangerous to venture into its streets at night if you do not have a police escort. Otherwise, the city has educational centers, a hotel, bars, restaurants and churches. In addition, La Rinconada is a tourist destination due to the proximity of Nevado de Ananea, a mountain that reaches 5,852 meters high and where skiing is possible.

Among the most grotesque details of La Rinconada we must highlight "the grandparents", as three sinister-looking figures are known, wearing miners' clothing, to whom different offerings are made, including miners' underwear of girls and virgin women. Another of the offerings consists of leaving whole cigarettes, stating that the figures smoke them. There are also blood offerings, all with the desire to obtain more wealth. Many describe this cult as demonic.

Two months ago, the Turkish documentary filmmaker Ruhi Çenet visited La Rinconada and showed the effects of the lack of oxygen suffered there. The video has gone viral and has more than 28 million views. The video has an audio track and subtitles in English, you can activate them in the bottom bar of the player: