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Matavenero is an isolated eco-village in León, located in the Northwestern Mountains of Spain. It is an environmentally friendly settlement and inhabited by a group of about sixty people. Matavenero is one of the biggest eco-villages in Spain. Many occupants are said to have moved to Matavenero as a means of escaping the modern world, to get in touch with their personal passions (i.e. art), or to be reconnected with the natural world.

History

Matavenero was originally a mining community, but it was abandoned in the 1960s after a forest fire destroyed the village. It was abandoned for almost twenty years. In 1989 after a rainbow gathering, the village was repopulated by a group of Germans who wanted to establish an eco-friendly community for those wishing to reunite with nature and live sustainably.

Matavenero is one of hundreds of former ghost towns across Europe that has been resettled by people wanting to escape modern society. The early pioneers of Matavenero lived in tents and teepees as they had to rebuild the barren village after the fire. They were approved for access from the local authorities to officially rehabilitate the village. With the help of a self autonomous group called Christiania, they rebuilt homes, dug a canal for water access to the village and cleared pathways to regain road access into the village.

Many of the current inhabitants are from Germany, Spain, France, and Denmark. Inhabitants claim to have discovered Matavenero through word of mouth. Some of the occupants were born in the village and are now the third generation of villagers. While most villagers are from Germany, the common language is Spanish.

Geography

Matavenero encompasses 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) of land on the mountain and is located at an altitude of about 1,000 meters (3,300 feet).

The village is a three-hour walk away from the nearest city and is only accessed by foot, pony, or donkey.

Society

Occupants of Matavenero are responsible for maintaining the village. They are mainly self-sufficient, but resources from outside towns are still retrieved with cars, parked at a car park outside of the village. While many do not hold traditional jobs, some work as seasonal construction workers in nearby towns, or sell handicrafts or extra produce to make a little bit of money. Money and earning a living is not a necessary aspect of life in Matavenero as it is understood that all residents work communally to sustain themselves. The same euros tend to be continually circulated in the village.

Every Thursday, members meet for a town hall meeting and to work on a communal project that needs completed. There are no laws or government. Waste is either recycled or taken uphill away from the village. Residents are responsible for self-organizing and maintaining the village. 

To become a resident of Matavenero, people must spend one year in the village to determine if life in the village suits them, while also proving themselves as contributing members of the village. After one year, then new members are eligible to remain living in the village. Visitors are welcomed to stay in Matavenero, but they are required to be respectful of the way of life the village and are only allowed to stay for a maximum of fifteen days.

There is no technology used in Matavenero, except for one computer that is shared by the entire village. They have a communal Facebook and Twitter account they use to as an information source and for the promotion of eco-villages.  

Media

In the spring of 2015, photographer Kevin Faingnaert shot a photo series about Matavenero. His series was featured in several online publications in the Autumn of 2015. Other media exposure of Matavenero is often from journalists or bloggers who have visited the village.