Climbing ladders in the gold mine of Serra Pelada. Brazil, 1986.

A moment of rest for this worker. Serra Pelada mine, Brazil, 1986.

“Everytime a section finds gold, the men who carry up the loads of mud and earth have, by law, the right to pick one of the sacks they brought out. And inside they may find fortune and freedom.”

--Sebastião Salgado

Going up the Serra Pelada mine. Brazil, 1986.