The Little Guards Of Cerro Rico.
Israel Limachi plays next to his house on the mountain „Cerro Rico“. Behind him lies the city Potosi and the old conveyor plant at the bottom of the mountain.
Maxima Limachi holds her youngest son Israel in her arms. On the window ledge stands a photo of her deceased husband. He died at the age of 35 in a mine.
Yoddy works in the kitchen to prepare lunch that she later sells to the miners that work close to her house.
Israel stands in front of his house right next to the entrance of the mine and plays with “Oso”, one of his six dogs.
Before they go to work in the mine, Israel, Maxima and Yoddy wait in the dressing room of the miners.
The seven years old Israel helps to free the cart‘s railway from debris.
Yoddy and Maxima are pushing the cart with rocks out of the mine.
Surrounded by mining-carts and the exhaust of compressors, Israel walks along a road on “Cerro Rico”.
Due to his burns Paul can only sit at the side of the soccer field and watch his mother play. Maxima trains with her team for the upcoming tournament.
Highly concentrated, Isreael pucks gray hairs from his mother‘s head.
When Yoddy doesn’t have to help in the mine, there is always something to do in the household.
In the early morning, Yoddy and her brothers lie in bed. Under the mattress the family stores drills that the miners use in the mine next to the house.
Maxima talks with the young miners in front of her house.
Every friday the miners drink cheap 96% alcohol or beer before and during their shift.
Paul plays with his dog „Pirulin“ in the dressing-room next to the mine.
Paul leaves his house on the way to the adit. In the foreground stands a mining-cart on wooden rails that lead out of the mine.
When Paul slept at a neighbor‘s house, the twelve year old son of the family poured alcohol over his leg and foot and set him on fire...
...He suffered from extensive second-degree burns, but his mother never sent him to a doctor or hospital.
A teddy-bear lies in the muddy river bed.
Maxima, the brother of her deceased husband and her tree children are on the way to the hot springs of „Miraflores“ about one hour outside of Potosí.
Since they don‘t have any shower or running water, they make the best out of their situation and travel once a week to the hot-springs
Next to the hot-springs of “Miraflores” one hour outside of Potosí Yoddy, Paul and Israel can be children at last.
Between her tasks, Maxima takes a break sitting on her bed. She seems tires from the daily efforts to provide the most basic needs for her family.
Every day at twelve o’clock, Israel and his siblings go through a little transformation to show their best side in school.
When Yoddy, Paul and Israel come home from school it already gets dark. Often they meet drunken miners on the way up to their house.
![Life on a german campground](http://agentur-focus.de/image/large/media/bilder/jwresch/immobilis-ein-leben-auf-dem-campingplatz-13.jpg "It is legal to have a permanent abode at the campgrounds "Erlengrund" and "Sternsee" in Gifhorn, near Hannover in Germany - Photo by Jonas Wresch")
