ECOALDEA HUEHUECOYOTL

When living in an ecovillage it helps to think like and elephant, like an Illuminated Elephant. That is what gave an in international group of artists and activists the inspiration for starting an ecovillage in Mexico based on the principles of art and ecology. Our ecovillage is known as Ecoaldea Huehuecoyotl, and this is how the arts and creativity helped define our identity. Our artistic spirit served us well when we chose to put our nomadic life aside and apply our imagination to the creation of a small village where we could experiment with new social forms of organization based on freedom, spiritual practice and integration with nature. The opportunity presented itself when our scouting party found a rich plot of land at six thousand feet elevation in the mountains of central Mexico, adjacent to one of the most important wilderness area and natural preserves in the country. Upon entering the secluded property, which had been used as a corn field and orchard for several generations, we were greeted by a large Amate tree growing out of the face of a rock-wall. The Amate is a sacred tree to the native cultures of the central plateau who use its bark to make the unique paper scrolls where they record their people’s histories. Its branches stretched out to embrace our scouts in a gesture of spiritual welcoming that left no doubt in our minds that we had found the place to start our village. Where the Amate stood was immediately declared to be the ceremonial center of the budding village we would create. That is where the sweat lodge, sacred fire and communal altar is located today.