Native groups sit on a treasure trove of lithium. Now mines threaten their water, culture and wealth
In the “lithium triangle” – a region spanning Argentina, Chile and Bolivia – native communities sit upon an estimated trillion dollars in lithium
By MEGAN JANETSKY, VICTOR R. CAIVANO & RODRIGO ABD
Published - Mar 13, 2024, 08:03 AM ET
Last Updated - Mar 13, 2024, 08:03 AM EDT
TUSAQUILLAS, Argentina (AP) — Irene Leonor Flores de Callata, 68, treks along a bone-dry riverbed, guiding a herd of llamas and sheep through stretching desert.
Flores de Callata’s native Kolla people have spent centuries climbing deep into the mountains of northern Argentina in search of a simple substance: Fresh drinking water.
Here, in one of the most arid environments in the world, it’s a life force that underpins everything.
In rainy months, the sacred lands surrounding their small adobe town of Tusaquillas well with water. In the dry months, families hike miles under the beating sun, hopeful their livestock can sip from a small plastic container, fed by a hose running high into the distant mountains.
