Blood, Sweat and Coca

Hailing from a family of miners, Roberto was always destined to follow the same path. Long hours are spent every day beneath the surface chipping and blasting away at the mine face.

Chewing coca leaves is a centuries-old tradition amongst Andean labourers, as the stimulants (including a small amount of cocaine) enable them to work harder and longer. The coca leaves are gently crushed between the teeth, and kept inside the cheek where the chemicals are absorbed. As the day goes on the wad of leaves inside the mouth gets bigger and bigger, but they never spit them out.