Serra Pelada: the story of the world's largest open-pit gold mine

There are many different opinions about the start of the gold rush in Serra Pelada. However, the most widely accepted version is that Genésio Ferreira da Silva, a former landowner in the area, discovered an atypical mineral while excavating to build a fence near a watercourse at the end of the 1970s. Initially, unaware of the type of material found, Genésio went to Marabá, where, after an analysis, he discovered that it was gold.

Genésio hired around thirty prospectors to work on extracting gold in the region, and over a period of two weeks, more than thirty kilograms of the precious metal were removed. Word spread quickly and five weeks later, around three thousand people flocked to the site in search of fortune. By 1980, the number of people in the area had exceeded five thousand.

However, the peak of exploitation came in 1983, when prospectors extracted around 14 tons of gold, according to data from the National Department of Mineral Production (DNPM), now the National Mining Agency (ANM).

It is estimated that around 100,000 people worked to remove 42 tons of ore in the 1980s and early 1990s in Serra Pelada.

The working environment was precarious and improvised, which resulted in dangerous conditions for the miners. They suffered from intense heat, compromised ladders, ravines without safety measures and contamination from the air, mud and mercury. Unfortunately, these conditions led to several deaths.

In the Garimpo, the land was divided into ravines measuring 2 × 3 meters, which were conquered by force at first, but were later raffled off. Under the supervision of the owners of each ravine was the person in charge of orders, known as "meia-praça", who determined where to dig and received a small commission for the gold found. The other workers were called:

• Ants: Workers who excavated the ground, and after finding a rock, filled a sack with approximately 35 kg of earth, and climbed up and down the improvised ladders, called "goodbye mom". Their pay was proportional to the weight they carried.
• Digger: This was one of the most important jobs, second only to the owner of the ravines and the "meia praça". His job was to hammer the rocks for nuggets, although he depended a lot on luck. Some have found nuggets the size of a golf ball.
• Pointer: This was the person in charge of writing down the number of sacks removed by the earth movers.
• Apurator: These were the people in charge of washing, they drained the earth through a trough covered in liquid mercury. An alloy was formed by the union of the substance with the gold, which was taken to a beater to separate the alloy from the earth, after which the rest was heated to evaporate the mercury and leave only the gold.

The mining rights in Serra Pelada were held by the Vale do Rio Doce company, which maintained a subsidiary on the site without exploiting the mineral. The company never managed to expel the prospectors from the region, and in 1984 Vale was approved to pay US$60 million in compensation for the gold extracted by the prospectors.

In 2001, the government granted the rights to the site to the prospectors, but in 2006 there was a standoff between the government, Vale do Rio Doce and the prospectors.

In 2007, the Canadian company Colossus Minerals signed an agreement with the Cooperativa de Mineração dos Garimpeiros de Serra Pelada (Coomigasp) to explore the Serra Pelada region. The contract stipulated that Coomigasp would have a 49% stake in the mine and Colossus 51%.

In 2009, the contract was modified and Colossus took a 75% stake. The company began making monthly payments to the cooperative, but most of the money disappeared. Following complaints, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office investigated the case, and in 2012 the courts removed the head of the cooperative.

In 2013, Colossus Minerals faced a series of demonstrations by miners in Serra Pelada. The group was protesting against a change in the profit-sharing contract between the mining company and the cooperative. The repercussions of the project resulted in the change of several of the company's directors, including CEO Cláudio Mancuso, who resigned in November 2013.

Colossus even raised funds on the Toronto Stock Exchange in Canada, but the Serra Pelada project never got off the ground. In 2014, due to financial difficulties, the company went public and laid off its employees in Brazil. In 2016, Colossus permanently delisted its Brazilian subsidiary Colossus Mineração LTDA.

Serra Pelada was the object of interest for countless people looking to improve their financial conditions and help their families. Unfortunately, many people died in pursuit of enrichment. Although some people achieved economic success, the majority did not make any significant changes to their lives. Approximately 42 tons of gold have been extracted from the site. In addition, geological studies estimate that there are between 20 and 50 tons of gold still submerged under the lake.

The miniseries tells the story of two friends (Juliano and Joaquim) who set off for Serra Pelada in search of a better life through mining. However, a difficult life and greed end up changing their lives and friendship forever.