In Andalusia, in the province of Huelva, is the largest open pit mine in Europe: it is part of the Río Tinto mines, which for 5000 years have been producing copper, silver, gold, sulfur and other minerals. According to the myth, these would be the famous mines of King Solomon, the source of all his riches.
The water of the Río Tinto is red, as its name hints: saturated with heavy metals, the river is sometimes the color of the earth - and sometimes the color of blood.
The mines, exploited since the age of copper, passed in the nineteenth century into the hands of a British consortium, who founded the Río Tinto Company Limited. The company has since become the largest international mining group in the world - responsible for many environmental degradations and violations of labor law.
Today, the mines of Río Tinto seem to be taken between two eras: the mining structures in ruins are witnesses of the past - but mining is being started again, opening a new era.
