Colombian miners hunt for dreams in leftover emeralds

Multinational mining company EMS allows treasure hunters to search for emeralds in Muzo, Colombia, creating a complex industry.

One man's trash can very well become another man's treasure in the Colombian town of Muzo, the emerald capital of the world.

In this small community in the foothills of the eastern Andes mountains, multinational mining company Esmeralda Mining Services (EMS) deposits tons of earth it has processed from its operations into a cage-like enclosure.

A few times a month, EMS allows hundreds of miners — known as "guaqueros" or treasure hunters — to search through the detritus and take home any precious stones they find.

Among the miners is Miguel Hernandez, 72, who grips a cane as he waits outside the cage, where some hopefuls have queued since 3:00 am.

"May our Heavenly Father give me a gift so I can buy a new home... it's what I want most," he told AFP.

Many emerald hunters bring their own shovels and sacks.

After filling the bags with as much earth as they can carry, they haul the bags down to a nearby stream and filter through the findings to see if any emeralds are hidden inside.