"In a country where artisanal mining is challenging, we seek to preserve our values:
Preserve our dreams. Stay true to our mission. Uphold the same ethics that define us. Despite adverse conditions, in an environment increasingly strained by violence, we seek a bit of humanity."
Rolberto Álvarez
We are located in the department of Nariño, in the southwest of Colombia.
In our region, mining is a key sector of the economy, and gold extraction has been practiced since pre-Columbian times. With a community-based and collaborative model, we prioritize vulnerable individuals. We promote responsible and regenerative mining. We do not use mercury.
With our "Restaurando" project, we buried 400 tons of mercury-laden tailings from previous mining processes, following technical remediation guidelines, thereby improving conditions to regenerate biodiversity in our region.
Our vision for responsible and regenerative mining
Watch this video where Rolberto, our leader, describes how we have become an educational model of responsible and regenerative mining. This model has been shared with other countries as a humble and respectful message for miners aiming to practice responsible mining and for buyers who prefer conscious and ethical gold and jewelry.
Gualconda: Responsible Mining in the Heart of Colombian Biodiversity
Our mine is located on the western slope of the Western Cordillera, along the Patía River in the municipality of Los Andes Sotomayor, Nariño Department, Colombia.
We are part of the biogeographical Chocó. This region, which stretches from Panama to Ecuador, is one of the most biodiverse areas in the world and a priority for conservation. Its high rainfall, tropical conditions, and isolation (separated from the Amazon basin by the Andes) have made it one of the most biodiverse: only 2% of its surface area harbors 10% of the planet's biodiversity.
The Gualconda mine is 800 km from Bogotá and can be reached by plane and then by road from Pasto, the capital of Nariño Department.
Help Us Continue
Between 2018 and 2023, we removed mercury-laden tailings from previous mining activities, regenerating the biodiversity of the Honda stream and creating an exemplary environmental space, now used as an educational model for remediation.
we continue restoring
Between 2018 and 2023, we removed mercury-laden tailings from previous mining activities, regenerating the biodiversity of the Honda stream and creating an exemplary environmental space, now used as an educational model for remediation.
EN 
ES