A series of images by the renowned Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado show the Serra Pelada mine in Brazil, 270 miles south of the mouth of the Amazon. In 1979 a local girl found six grams of gold in a local river, leading to one of the largest gold rushes in the country’s history. Thousands descended on the mine in the hope of getting rich, turning it into an anthill. “No one is taken there by force,” recalled Salgado, “yet once they arrive, all become slaves of the dream of gold and the need to stay alive. Once inside, it becomes impossible to leave.” Like those miners in Brazil, the
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