Man Searching Gold In The River Of Mariana, Brazil. Editorial Image

A Garimpeiro (gold-digger) in the centre of Mariana, state of Minas Gerais (General Mines), Brazil. Mariana is one of the major colonial towns of Brazil, and was the centre of the gold mines of central Minas Gerais until the 1750s. Gold is still found here, and the “garimpeiros” are using methods almost unchanged since gold was found here in 1696, the only difference now is that the pans are