This “lava” of liquid sulfur floods into the mine and eventually hardens into a precious cake of yellow sulfurous material ripe for the picking.
Miners have been harvesting the sulfur here for the nearly 50 years since the volcano became active in 1968.
Every day, about 300 workers make the two-mile trek up the steep and rocky quarry walls.
Then they plunge about 3,000 feet into the “womb” of the volcano to extract the materials with metal poles.
The miner’s call the sulfur “devil’s gold” because the conditions inside and outside of the mine are extremely dangerous.
Toxic fumes billow from fissures in the rocks, which sear the eyes, throat, lungs, and can even dissolve teeth.
Those who can afford them wear proper masks.
Others aren’t so fortunate. They bite through wet towels or scarves to help them breathe while they work.
