Máxima

Surrounded by the mountains and lakes of Cordigliera, Peru, Máxima Acuña is devoted to farming and sheepherding. Like the other families in the area, she knows that earth and water are an integral part of life and need to be protected. The Yanacocha mine expansion project, Latin America’s largest gold mine and owned by Newmont Mining Corporation headquartered in the United States, threatens to disrupt their lives. Threats, forced evictions, assault and criminal trials have not been able to stop Máxima’s battle or the love for her homeland. We accompany her on her long journey from the Peruvian Supreme Court to the World Bank in Washington, DC, to the award of the 2016 Goldman Prize.