By jeep the intrepid traveler can reach Los Nevados, which rests about 9,000 feet above sea level in the Venezuelan Andes in the state of Mérida. The road is dirt and more frequently than not, the traveler sees little “sanctuaries” which commemorate those brave or foolhardy souls who attempted to make the journey but fell off the bottomless cliffs running alongside it for miles.
The village was founded in 1591 and today has about 150 people according to the most recent statistic I was able to dig up (2019), plus about 1,000 in the small villages and farms surrounding it. That is down from the 2,000-plus total in 2011.
Los Nevados depended heavily on tourism, mostly European and American; one can still see fading French and English signs, still there for no one these days.
It is so isolated that the great industrial and infrastructure booms of the 20th century bypassed her. Although power blackouts are frequent and long lasting, Los Nevados’ dauntless people have never depended much on electricity. Internet connectivity is infrequent and forget about texting.
How is it that the village population is not down to zero by now?
I personally know folks who live in the Venezuelan interior, far from the major metropolitan areas of Caracas, Maracaibo, Ciudad Guayana, and such. They are finding it very difficult to acquire the basics of life such as food and medicines as well as simple necessities like soap. Some are about to embark on the long and dangerous trek to Brazil or Colombia, a trek that millions of others have taken, many having disappeared along the way.
But Los Nevados hasn’t experienced such an exodus, although to be sure, many have indeed emigrated. What do the remaining majority do?
The same as their ancestors have done for centuries, it turns out. They grow their own food, including potatoes, beans, tomatoes, berries, and more. Every household has a garden and many raise their own chickens and other small livestock. Theirs is mostly a barter economy.
And I am told their countenances continue to be serious but content and determined.
No, I am not for returning to some idyllic subsistence existence. However, I am for being prepared by learning a trade, knowing how to grow your own food, and loving your neighbors. That’s a start for any major upheavals which one may face in a given lifetime.
I wish Los Nevados well.
