Yanacocha, named in Quechua after the “black” lake that formerly occupied the site, was once the largest gold and silver mine in South America. Today, the mine’s 251-square kilometer open-pit reserves are almost entirely depleted. Yanacocha’s three decades of extraction have led to drastic changes in the surrounding landscapes with trends of rapid urbanization and environmental degradation. As the project enters its last phase of operations, “closure plans” are activated to address the enduring environmental and social legacy of the mine. This digital humanities project develops an interactive virtual timeline that 1. Visualizes the changes to the landscape produce by large-scale mineral extraction projects and 2. Critically considers the proposed strategies for environmental remediation and their own implications to local politics and ecosystems. Drawing on Landsat satellite images and closure plans submitted for public review on behalf of Newmont, the American mining corporation which currently manages the mine, I develop a new visual record that evidences the concrete impacts of foreign investment on the Andean territory and challenges the discursive framing of “environmental protection” within neoliberal capitalist logics.

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