Vilcabamba

The name Vilcabamba is thought to come from the Kichwa huilco pamba, the plain of the huilco, a tree sacred in the region, and the valley has been called the Playground of the Inca for its supposed use as a retreat for Inca royalty. Above it rises Mandango, the Sleeping Inca, which local legend says shields the valley from earthquakes and other disasters.

For most of its history Vilcabamba was a quiet farming parish of Loja. That changed in the 1960s and 1970s, when an Ecuadorian scientific mission and then foreign researchers came to study residents who claimed extraordinary ages. In 1973 Alexander Leaf of Harvard Medical School introduced them to the world in National Geographic, and the village became known as the Valley of Longevity.

Leaf himself grew doubtful when the same man gave his age as 122 in 1971 and as 134 three years later. Researchers who checked baptismal records concluded in 1978 that there was not a single centenarian in the village; the oldest person was 96, and those claiming to be over 100 averaged 86. Ages had been exaggerated for prestige, identical family names had confused the records, and the high share of elderly people came from young people leaving and older people arriving. The researchers did note that hard work and a low-fat diet seemed to keep older villagers healthy. The fame remained, and it brought tourists and a steady stream of foreign settlers.

The longevity story is part of local identity. Many residents still credit the climate, the clean air and the mineral-rich water of the valley's rivers, and the legend of the Sleeping Inca on Mandango is told to visitors. The village belongs to Loja province, whose capital is known as the music and cultural capital of Ecuador.

The arrival of foreign residents has given the village an unusual mix for a parish of its size. Restaurants on the plaza serve dishes from several continents beside Andean ones, and village shops sell organic shade-grown coffee, granola, natural soaps and locally made crafts aimed at residents and visitors alike. Retirees from around the world, especially the United States and Canada, have settled permanently in the valley, with both positive and negative effects on what was once a quiet place.

Life is lived outdoors and on foot or horseback. Walking and riding in the hills are what draw most visitors, and the rhythm is slow.

The parish had a population of more than 7,000 in 2020. The proportion of older people is higher than usual, which researchers attributed to young people moving away to the cities while older people moved in. Farming, services and tourism provide work, and the guesthouses, restaurants and shops that serve visitors and foreign residents are an important part of the village economy.

The houses around the plaza have changed little, in part because their owners have had limited money to alter them, while newer homes and guesthouses are scattered along the rivers and up the hillsides. Many visitors come for a few days and stay on to consider settling, and the foreign community is a visible part of daily life, from the plaza cafés to the shops selling local coffee and produce.

For hospitals, universities and larger shops, residents travel to Loja, about an hour away by bus. The rise in crime affecting the whole country has reached the calmer southern highlands as well.

Vilcabamba eats the food of Loja province. Repe, a creamy soup of green bananas and fresh cheese, is the region's best-known dish, alongside tamales and humitas, steamed parcels of ground maize, and the mote, boiled hominy, of the southern highlands.

The plaza's restaurants also reflect the international population, with dishes from many countries next to the almuerzo set lunch of soup, rice, meat and juice. Coffee, an emblematic product of Loja province, is grown in the area and sold, shade-grown and organic, with granola, jams and other produce in village shops. Cecina, pork seasoned with salt, garlic and pepper, dried in the sun and then grilled, is another Loja speciality.

Fresh fruit juices are everywhere, and horchata, an infusion of medicinal herbs and flowers sweetened and finished with a few drops of lemon, is the region's traditional drink.