It’s described as a place for the ‘outcasts of society’
A town up in the sky with ‘no laws’ and illegal mining practically sounds like the set of some kind of gritty drama series.
But instead of being the basis of a new Netflix series, La Rinconada is a very real, and pretty scary, place.
Sitting at 5,100m above sea level, the Peruvian town is the highest permanent human settlement in the world.
While there are some laws and regulations there, the place is basically described as being ‘lawless’ with high levels of crime.
And a man who visited La Rinconada documented what he came across as they experienced a small part of what life is like in the highest town on Earth.
It’s the highest town on Earth. (Getty Stock)
Giving us an insight during a YouTube documentary, they said it’s ‘essentially as close to a lawless town as it gets’.
The town is very close to a gold mine, and the majority of those there are miners. Although, some of the mining that goes on isn’t exactly official and generally regarded as ‘informal mining’ – which you might interpret some of to be illegal.
During the documentary, they met a miner who spoke enough English to describe La Rinconada as ‘dangerous’, but they still head there to be able to get work.
After chatting to the miners, the man described the town as a place for ‘the outcasts of society’.
“I think they just end up gravitating towards a place like this, where you end up with some pretty rough personalities,” he said.
The place is described as ‘lawless’. (Youtube/ Yes Theory)
Staying in the town for the night, the man and his cameraman were given ‘security instructions’ as there was concern they would have been marked ‘as a target’.
It was particularly for the evening when it would all ‘completely change’.
Having struggled with the oxygen levels and the ‘sketchiness’ of the place, they reflected on the ‘very intense experience’ of spending time in la Rinconada.
He explained it was ‘torn between just such extremes’.
“Like waking up at the bottom of a glacier, seeing the most beautiful view but being up during the night and hearing what was going on in the town,” he described.
“And hearing gunshots, and hearing people scream, and hearing people drunk, breaking bottles.”
Calling it’ a ‘weird paradox’, he described it as: “Being in one of the most beautiful places that you can be on our planet, but also seeing the worst of what human beings can do to our planet.”
Featured Image Credit: Youtube/ Yes Theory
