Matavenero, a rainbow ecovillage in Spain
Matavenero is a small village situated an hour away from Leon in Spain, amongst a large 7000-acre wind farm. A “rainbow” community, (a free community without a leader) has been settled there for more than thirty years.
The village centre is comprised of a dozen publicly and privately owned buildings, all built from stone or recyclable materials; an alternative school for the children; a non-alcoholic bar and a shop selling medical plants is open from time to time.
At Mataverno, there are no rules; apart from the ban on drinking alcohol; a beverage frowned upon by some mountain dwellers. The underlying principal upheld by the fifty residents and the many visitors is freedom and responsibility.
Freedom and Autonomy
You can live here in total autonomy for as long as you can support yourself. There is a lot of land free to be made into a vegetable patch for those who so desire. An inn accommodates the new arrivals for a period of between one or two weeks. The new arrival must then find their own accommodation among the buildings available, or even build their own.
Access to the site at Matavenero isn’t easy. Most of the houses are built on slopes, inaccessible by any other mode of transport than foot and the paths are often very narrow. Some residents use donkeys for transportation. ‘Tyrolienne’ (?)have also been set up to help ease the weight of heavy loads to the most remote houses.
Collective building projectsare organised from time to time. Visit the official website to find out more.
Discover Matavereno in photos:
Photos © Victor Bravo Lobo
Learn more
Visit the official website
See other eco-communities in Spain
