The department of Cajamarca is often portrayed in the media as a poor region due to its high poverty rates, which in 2018 affected 13.9 percent of the population. Considering that it is the main gold-mining region, contributing almost a quarter of Peru's production, with well-known megaprojects like Yanacocha, one has to ask: Why is there so much poverty amidst mountains of gold that literally crisscross its landscape? Any visitor to its capital city is struck by the lush greenery of its landscapes and the abundance of dairy products sold in its old, bustling streets.