COLOMBIA. January 2017. Region of Boyaca. Quipama. Emerald story. "Guaqueros", men and women coming from all over the country, looking for the green precious stone which can make them suddendly rich. But nowadays, the chances to find them are very small since foreign multinational enterprises such MTC have bought the main mines and have modernised and high-securised this traditional business. In the past, people could easily find emeralds in the river, or workers directly from the mines where they would steal them. The bosses usually would let them do as long as they didn't take a big one.