The exploratory work which was completed had less severe, but still harmful, effects on the Guaymies. Without warning or explanation, roads were built across Guaymi family farming lands and, while the Guaymies were compensated for destroyed crops, they were not indemnified for the loss of fallow land. Mining officials did not provide information about where roads and camps would be built, so Guaymies were dependent on rumors, heightening their sense of powerlessness. When the Guaymies asked about the effects of the project, government officials responded that the effects were under study and that any loss to the Guaymies would be compensated. We need land.
Land never goes away.
You can't plant money. You can't grow money. You can't eat money. Only land assures us of food. In the years after the project was launched, the Guaymies became increasingly concerned about the effects it would have on their lives.