Indigenous communities in northern Argentina are determined to protect the land from lithium mining.
The metal is used to make rechargeable batteries for everything from smartphones to laptops.
Ms Machaca is a case in point. She lives on a piece of land her grandfather bought from the landowner he worked for.She and many like her, who have no legal documents to back up their claims to the land, could now face eviction under a controversial constitutional reform approved in June by the governor of Jujuy, Gerardo Morales.
In total, there are 38 lithium mining projects in northern Argentina, of which three are already up and running.In order to reach the underground deposits, companies first have to drill. The brine is then pumped to the surface into artificial ponds, where some of the liquid is allowed to evaporate before the lithium is extracted through a series of chemical processes.
But Néstor Jérez, chief of the Ocloya people, remains concerned about the impact current lithium mining is having and future projects could have.Néstor Jérez went to Buenos Aires to convey his community's concerns to the authorities
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