Pucara Gold Ltd. announced that it has commenced the Lourdes Gold Project drill campaign. Nine primary target areas have been identified for drill testing in the project area. Selection criteria include size and intensity of the hydrothermal alteration, presence of multiple alteration and brecciation events, strong structural control, anomalous rock and/or soil geochemical response, large IP resistivity anomalies, and large deposit size potential. Target areas are predominantly diatreme centers and/or broad structural zones or a combination of both. The first phase of the program consists of 20 holes (5000m) testing four target areas; Phase 2 consists of 16 holes (2650m) that include the remaining five target areas. Eleven additional sites are included in the proposed plan to allow for follow-up infill and step-out drilling with the 40 sites allowed by permit. Target # 1: Jellopata: The Jellopata target, located in the western portion of the project area, is the largest identified in the Lourdes hydrothermal system and believed to have the highest potential for a large, multi-million-ounce gold deposit. The target consists of a 1.2km long, 300m wide north-south trending, near-surface zone of high IP resistivity that is interpreted to be silicic alteration within a large structurally controlled diatreme. The Jellopata zone trend is parallel to and within the Apumayo mineralized trend, which is interpreted to be the primary controlling structure. Multi-stage granular silica breccias and advanced argillic alteration containing high temperature pyrophyllite clays overly the IP resistivity anomaly. Stratiform cryptocrystalline silica overlies the northern portion of target area. The Jellopata target is at the highest elevation in the Lourdes system (4350m), with a surface alteration assemblage characteristic of high levels of high sulfidation gold deposits. The exposure level is believed to be above the zone of gold deposition, but weak soil gold and arsenic anomalies overly and support the concept of a shallow blind target. The IP resistivity anomaly is funnel-shaped consistent with the morphology of the exposed diatremes and vents, with the inferred feeder portion extending to below 4000m elevation. A distinct concave-upward zone of anomalous low chargeability is present within the northern 600-800m of the IP resistivity anomaly, interpreted as a zone of strong oxidation extending to at least 200m below the surface. This area is believed to be the most prospective for gold mineralization due to deep oxidation commonly found where the brecciation and resulting porosity and permeability is the highest. Target # 2: Chucllani: The Chucllani target area is a broad area of intense alteration on the northeast side of the Lourdes system consisting of four separate target areas over approximately 800m of strike length. It has similarities to the Apumayo group of gold deposits being mined 14km to the south. The primary drill target consists of a >200m long, >75m wide northeast-trending zone of granular silica alteration with outcropping gold mineralization up to 0.64 g/t Au. A secondary target exists 200m to the northeast along zone trend where gold-bearing (up to 1.7 g/t Au) granular silica outcropping within a prominent ravine. A strong westerly-plunging IP resistivity anomaly that is believed to be the east margin of the Paccha Huayco diatreme is also targeted from this area. The Chucllani target area exhibits moderate to strong anomalous soil gold and pathfinder element response. Target # 3: Ayani: The Ayani zone is located at the extreme northeastern portion of the Lourdes system and consists of a 700m long and up to 150m wide structural zone of silicified breccias with proximal stratiform silicic alteration, a vent breccia with chalcedonic silica at the upper portions, and gold-bearing granular silica breccia. Gold-bearing granular silica (up to 0.87 g/t Au) is exposed at the edge of colluvial cover in the lower portions of the zone, suggesting that the colluvium may be concealing additional non-resistant mineralized granular silica. Soil gold and arsenic anomalies appear to be sourced in the zone. Target # 4: Paccha Huayco: The Paccha Huayco target is in the central part of the Lourdes system and is the second largest in the project area. It occurs at the three-way intersection of the dominant structural trends on the property: the north-south Apumayo trend, the northwest fold axis trend, and the northeast Ayani structural trend. The target area is underlain by a large funnel-shaped IP resistivity anomaly that is interpreted to be a diatreme like the Jellopata target. The anomaly and inferred diatreme are elliptical in plan, 1000m long within the Ayani structural zone and up to 500m wide. The IP resistivity anomaly occurs below pervasive strong advanced argillic alteration with structurally controlled granular and massive silica. Soil gold and weak rock chip gold anomalies occur on the west and southeast flanks of alteration overlying the IP resistivity anomaly. The surface alteration assemblage is high-level, consisting of chalky, possibly steam-heated granular silica and cryptocrystalline silica inferred to be above the level of gold deposition.