Yvatyaña

Yvatyaña (Kanasa for "devil mountain") is a mountain in Northeastern Ta'aroha near the Ta'arohan city of Y’etêmbi. Yvatyaña, which is popularly conceived of as being "made of" copper ore, is famous for providing vast quantities of copper historically for various polities and industries, used both in war and peace. It is estimated that, at one point in the region's history, eighty-five percent of the copper produced in the region came from Yvatyaña. As a result of the mining operations in the mountain, the city of Y’etêmbi became one of the largest cities in Ta'aroha's largely rural north.

History
Mount Yvatyaña historically is among the richest sources of copper in the history of the region. The extraction of mineral ores in Yvatyaña began in the 5th century CE. Between the 6th and 8th century, 80% of the region's copper supply came from mines situated within the mountain. After centuries of extractive mining methods that severely damaged the local ecology, the mountain continues to be mined for copper to this day. Due to poor worker conditions, such as a lack of protective equipment against the constant inhalation of dust, many of the miners contract silicosis and have a life expectancy of around 40 years. The mountain is still a significant contributor to the city's economy, employing some 15,000 miners.

As a result of centuries-long mining, in 1989 a sinkhole in the top appeared and had to be filled with ultra-light cement. The summit also continues to sink a few centimeters every year. In 2003, a World Forum committee added Yvatyaña and Y’etêmbi to its list of endangered cites, owing to "uncontrolled mining operations" that risk further "degradation of the site."

Labor and methods of extraction
Originally, the mountain was worked using a forced labor system by local powers in order to extract copper from the mountain. During the first decades of extraction, the mines had vast deposits of pure copper and copper sulfide deposits, which made the extraction of copper relatively easy. Captive labor from prisoners of war was eventually preferred by local authorities, as opposed to local labor, due to high mortality rates. By 1320, Yvatyaña had run out of high grade copper ores. However, extraction began anew following the introduction of newer, more modern methods of extraction that allowed the miners to form copper amalgams and extract copper from low-grade ores.

The labor system was also a system of cyclical labor, so after their required time was done, many prisoners would continue working at the mines as wage laborers despite the harsh conditions. Given the use of chemical processes and the high amount of copper extracted from the mines, poisoning among laborers was common, which caused many miners to die. Other harsh conditions at both the mines and refining smelters also caused the deaths of miners, and it is believed that around four million miners died in total. However, other sources estimate that it was closer to only a few hundred thousands. Yvatyaña is known as "the mountain that eats men" due to the large number of workers who died in the mines over the centuries.

Ta'arohan National Mining Company
Ta'aroha's mining sector, one of whose centers is in Yvatyaña, has been given many privileges including favorable tax treatment and exemption from certain labor and environmental regulations following the liberalization of the nation's economy in the 1990s. After centuries of brutal extraction and forced labor, decades of foreign influence and corruption of the public sector in the late 20th century, 25,000 miners were displaced following the plummeting of mineral prices in the 1990s. The Ta'arohan National Mining Company underwent mass liberalization and privatization in this period, which led to unrest due to conflicts with certain labor groups and leaders. In 2003, state miners and privately-employed ones clashed outside the city, leaving 106 dead and leading to the firing of several government ministers. Most recently in 2018, Ta'aroha's Deputy Interior Minister Amapytu Sypavê was tortured and killed, allegedly by a mining corporation's agents. This outburst of violence has led to clashes between state miners and the police, leaving many dead and severing the decades of strong ties between the miners and the government.

Reports in 2019 indicate that the current output of the mines was predominantly tin and zinc, with only small amounts of copper. One report estimates that a full 88% of the miners in Ta'aroha, more than 10,000 (including children) were working for state mines. A former miner discussed the great risks of working at Yvatyaña with a reporter; "the mountain that eats men" has claimed some 4 million lives have been lost over the centuries in a recent book. The former miner, however, added that those working there had few alternatives for earning a living. "You have to be mad to work in the mines, with the conditions. But there are no alternatives."

Mine
Many miners within Yvatyaña subscribe to a specific set of superstitions, thought to keep them safe during their time in the mountain. If a miner strikes a rich vein, it is thanks to Tuvy, the spirit of the mountain. If a miner is crushed to death by a loose rock, it is also the work of Tuvy. Miners have developed a traditional of leaving offerings in hopes of satiating Tuvy's hunger; the mines are home to more than 600 shrines in its likeness, which the miners regularly soak in liquor, bestow with lit cigarettes, and shower in the leaves of various herbs and plants. Tuvy also accepts the blood of various animals, but prefers that of sloths and humans.