Toño at the end of his last Monday at La Escondida. Caboalles de Arriba, Spain, on December 16, 2018. (Jackson Fager/VICE News)
One of El Bierzo’s many mine ruins. Two retired miners said they’re some of the youngest men left in the village. Torre del Bierzo, Spain, December 16, 2018. (Jackson Fager/VICE News)
Miners preparing for their shift in La Escondida’s locker room. Caboalles de Arriba, Spain, on December 17, 2018. (Jackson Fager/VICE News).
An antiquated bus struggles to climb up to at La Escondida’s entrance in fresh snow. Caboalles de Arriba, Spain, December 17, 2018. (Jackson Fager/VICE News)
A system of rails and wagons stretches through La Escondida to transport coal and excavated rock, both emitting clouds of dust. Caboalles de Arriba, Spain, December 17, 2018. (Jackson Fager/VICE News)
A miner taking empty wagons into La Escondida, to bring another load of coal to the truck waiting by the mine’s entrance. Caboalles de Arriba, Spain, December 17, 2018. (Jackson Fager/VICE News)
A miner rides the locomotive that powers La Escondida’s coal wagons. Caboalles de Arriba, Spain, December 17, 2018. (Jackson Fager/VICE News)
Enrique Fernández Daganzo, right, in the mine workshop before washing off the coal dust. Caboalles de Arriba, Spain, December 17, 2018. (Jackson Fager/VICE News)
Patrons of Mesón Minero playing scopa in Caboalles de Abajo, Spain, on December 17, 2018. (Jackson Fager/VICE News)