How do you even begin to tell a story that spans decades, involves hundreds—if not thousands—of people, and somehow gives credit where credit is due?
Well… you try. And here I am doing just that. In this blog, I'll attempt to untangle the roots of the Machuca Valley Expat community, honoring its key moments, its thinkers and doers. This is the written history of the Machuca Valley Experiment—dreamt up and manifested by visionaries, believers, and action-takers.
I believe that every great story deserves to begin by honoring those who came before.
If you've spent any time in the valley—or even just watched from the digital sidelines, wondering whether to take that leap into Costa Rica—you've probably heard different versions of this story. I don't claim to have all the answers. After all, I only joined the party in 2013 when the music was already playing. But I've done my homework: I've listened, asked questions, watched Podcasts and Ted Talks, dug into the archives, and tried to get as close to the truth as possible.
And as an additional disclaimer, this article is focussing on the appearance and rise of the expat-permaculture-eco-community in the greater area of the Machuca Valley. There is a several century long history of Costa Rican settlers in this very region and if you go further back, there were already indigenous tribes enjoying the beauty and magic of the Machuca River for thousands of years. This blog is focusing on the more recent development, maybe somebody feels called to fill us in on the indigenous/tico part of our history?
Why Does This Story Even Matter?
And who am I to tell it?
Well, I'm a photographer. Capturing magic moments and preserving them for the future is what I do. Over the years, I've immortalized many of these moments: children laughing together, birthday gatherings, fireside songs under the stars, parents coming together to found a school...
These aren't just pretty pictures. They are living stories—fragments of a bigger tale. People who lived here, planted trees, built homes, started circles and WhatsApp groups, and left behind ripples that others continue to feel and enjoy today.
And now, with communities like Ecovilla San Mateo and Alegría Village flourishing, the valley could well become a global model for conscious, modern living in harmony with nature. So yes, this story matters. And it's worth telling.
The Seed of an Idea (Early 2000s)
An idea is a spiritual seed, a living energy, floating around in the quantum realm until it finds its way into an open mind. When the right people receive an idea, they can bring it to life.
The idea here was simple (and ancient): to live a healthy life, in community, close to nature, growing food, raising children, and building intentional homes. Not exactly revolutionary—actually, it's how humanity lived for most of its history. But in a world out of sync with nature, this "return to Earth" started to feel new again.
Enter Stephen Brooks and Christian Carranza—both tuned into the same frequency and picking up the signal.
Stephen, already deeply involved in permaculture design and creator of Kopali Organics, had been living at Punta Mona for years with the mission to improve human relationship with our food. His company was in every Whole Foods, selling Costa Rican pineapples, mangos, coffee beans, and chocolate-covered versions of all those fruits. That was even before the turn of the millennium.
Christian (yes, the ginger beer guy), a Tico civil engineer with a successful background in commercial development, was looking for something more meaningful—something beyond concrete and rebar, a chance to make a positive impact on the way we build our houses and live in harmony with nature.
In the early 2000s, Christian found his way to Punta Mona, an off-grid eco-community on the Caribbean coast founded by Stephen Brooks as a Permacultural Design Model and to host workshops. That's where they connected, becoming friends and co-conspirators in a new dream. They were part of the same Burning Man camp, and it was fortuitous that they found each other. Punta Mona was a magnet for nature lovers, artists, dreamers and creators. Stephen and Christian traveled together to Rainbow Gatherings, Burning Man, festivals—you know, all the places where people ask themselves: "what if we bought some land and…".
You might ask: "If Punta Mona already existed, why create another community?" Good question. Punta Mona, while magical, is remote—reachable only by jungle hike or boat ride. What they envisioned now was something more accessible—closer to infrastructure and more suitable for modern families needing things like, you know... roads.
Stephen had a bigger vision: Kopali Communities. If you can have a golf course community, why not have a food-based community? The intention was to create a permanent community where people could live off the land by applying permaculture principles and inviting like-minded people.
Finding the Land (2005)
So Christian specifically scouted land across Costa Rica. The criteria was clear: it had to be fertile, allowing for year-round growing, rural yet close to an international airport (within an hour), abundance of crystal-clear drinkable water—water so pure you could fall off the rocks and drink it—and with diverse agricultural potential.
Christian found it on the map first. He looked at this transitional space and thought, "This looks like a good area. Let's go check it out."
In 2005, he took Stephen to a place that checked all the boxes: the Machuca Valley. Kopali Organics expanded into Kopali Communities and with the help of Norman Brooks, Stephen's father, and a group of investors, they purchased the land that would one day become La Ecovilla. Christian managed permits, roads, and engineering. Stephen began rallying future settlers from around the globe.
They started developing immediately—planting trees, doing permaculture installations, creating ponds. Most of this early work was done by Itai Hauben and Stephen, with Itai handling much of the hands-on implementation.
Fun fact: the original name of this area was not the Machuca Valley, but “Desemparados de San Mateo.” It literally means “the abandoned land”, likely because of the gold mines that were abandoned after a larger strike was found down south. The name “Machuca Valley” is likely only used by the ex-pats community at this point.
Tacotal is Born (2007)
But here's where the story gets really interesting—and where we need to set the chronological record straight.
A couple years after they found the original land, Juan, Diego's nephew told them about some additional land that was for sale up the road. Christian and Stephen went up to check out this land that would become Tacotal.
This land was perfect for their Burning Man camp, which had been looking for a place to call home. So while Kopali Communities was still in development with nobody living there yet, Tacotal was born as a collective in 2007.
Stephen pooled together all the Burning Man camp founders with the money, and they bought the land. Within that year, Bradley Scott picked up a truck in Oregon and drove it all the way down to Costa Rica, loaded with a sailboat and all the Burning Man camp's materials—all their base camp stuff.
And here's the crucial detail that makes Bradley a true pioneer: he then lived on the land full-time for the next year or two. He didn't really leave. For the first rainy season, he was literally under a tarp, camping in a tent. This wasn't glamping—this was real homesteading.
The True Roots of Community Life (2007-2010)
The next year, other Tacotal founders started coming and setting up more infrastructure. This is when the real community life began. Bradley was living there full-time, others like Matthew Human were spending three months out of the year there, Adam Baer was there three months, Christian was coming back and forth from San José, and other members would visit.
Then Gustavo and Rosa came in—friends of Christian's who joined the collective. They were all literally living in tents, some people had these star pod structures made from old Burning Man camp materials, but they were camping out for real. This was a genuine homestead—like a rainbow gathering or Burning Man camp, but permanent. Super rustic, with a totally crazy road.
During all this time, there was still nobody living in what's now called La Ecovilla. It was just a development project with beautiful permaculture installations, but no residents.
The early Tacotal settlers would actually go down and harvest food off La Ecovilla's land because there was nobody living there. They had access to harvest fruits from the trees.
This small group of pioneers—Christian, Bradley, Matthew Human, Adam, and the La Libertad locals including Diego and Juan at the end of the road—were the only people living in this valley. They became the roots of the actual Machuca Valley community. They were reliant upon each other, building real relationships with Jesus, Luis Chavez, and Fernando from La Libertad.
Fun Fact: at this time, Route 27 did not exist! So all of the traffic going to pacific used Route 3 and yes, they had those Yield signs on every bridge, so imagine the traffic.
La Ecovilla Gets Its First Residents (2010-2011)
This same year was Stephen and Sarah's wedding in 2010, and that was the first time many people met Marcelo Valansi. Stephen introduced him as their new project manager for Kopali Communities. Within about a year, they decided to rebrand the project. Marcelo suggested changing the name from Kopali Communities to La Ecovilla—a name actually suggested by Sol Gonzales, Marcelo's wife and life companion (who we remember fondly).
The Development Boom (2011-2012)
In 2011, Tacotal settlers started building their permanent houses. Gretchen and Jonathan Felts built the first house, Matthew Human built the second (and proudly claims the first indoor kitchen in the Machuca Valley), and Christian and Gina started their house that same year.
From 2010 onwards, Marcelo took the ball and ran with it. He had a big network, and people started joining and buying into La Ecovilla. By 2012, people were actually starting to build and live in La Ecovilla, with some homes made from bamboo, clay, and earth, exactly as Christian had envisioned.
Marcelo stepped in as full-time developer and poured his heart into the land. He not only pulled the project out of troubled waters but really made it thrive by being on the land every day. He oversaw planning and construction of all the infrastructure and made La Ecovilla as we know it today.
So yes, the trio—Stephen, Christian, and Marcelo—played foundational roles, but the chronology matters. The visionaries (Stephen and Christian) found the land and started the projects. The pioneers (Bradley, Matthew Human, Adam, and others) actually lived the community life from the very beginning. And the developer (Marcelo) made La Ecovilla into the thriving community it became.
Success and Expansion: From Punta Mona to Global Recognition
Christian focused on eco-construction and built several natural homes in and around La Ecovilla. Marcelo oversaw and completed the development. Stephen, always the visionary, spread the word far and wide through talks, presentations, and TEDx stages.
Success was on the horizon... and with success came fame.
La Ecovilla vs. Alegría: The Apple vs. Microsoft Moment
Like all good origin stories, the Machuca Valley has its own version of Apple vs. Microsoft… Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi…
Stephen, who was also behind the inception of the Envision Festival, is a magnet for ideas floating around in the Ether. He is a real visionary whose true nature is to spark projects, connect and inspire people. In 2016, with La Ecovilla sold out and becoming a sizable community of settlers, Stephen began working on a new community next door: Alegría Village. Christian joined again for permitting and engineering. Marcelo didn't.
Differences in vision and decision making led to this split, but the main goal for both communities remained the same and synergies between them boosted the growth of the Valley. While all of them agree on what really happened, most confusion comes from public appearances and talks, where the story gets bent to either one side or the other of who created the community in the first place, depending on the definition or interpretation of the word "creating".
But the result is that this entire region is becoming a vortex for extraordinary people—brilliant minds, loving hearts, and visionary humans. Whether you call Ecovilla home, vibe in Alegría, live off-grid in Tacotal, or reside in the tico communities like Maderal or La Libertad—you are part of what makes this place special.
Then Came Zac Efron (Seriously)
In 2020, Netflix's Down to Earth dropped. Suddenly, Ecovilla wasn't just a hidden paradise for eco-nerds—it was global.
People across the world watched Zac Efron walking the lands of La Ecovilla next to Stephen Brooks, eating fruit straight from trees and visiting our School Casa Sula, which was in full bloom at that time. By the way, what happened to that epic school? Maybe I will write another one of these stories about the Rise and Fall of Casa Sula.
Suddenly, Alegría sold lots faster than you could say "permaculture." Hundreds of families were attracted and looking for their place in nature where they could grow food and still be able to hug friends. Conscious living had gone viral! Lots were sold, but building in Alegría was slowed down by a certain global event.
With interest in this lifestyle rising, Ecovilla San Mateo became the next logical step for Marcelo. As I write this, Alegría is growing steadily and its community life with it. Ecovilla San Mateo is finishing its overall infrastructure and houses are expected to be built shortly, and a whole new chapter is about to begin.
The Future
From the initial handful of believers camping in Tacotal to the well-designed eco-lifestyle offered by La Ecovilla, we are about to see significant growth in Alegría and Ecovilla San Mateo and the arrival of hundreds of new families, looking for that perfect balance of community, organic food, alternative schooling and living in harmony with nature.
More ideas are emerging. More WhatsApp groups are being created (150+ and counting). I can't wait to see what's next: sports teams, philosophy circles, learning about plants, healthy food and habits, dance nights, festivals—whatever we imagine together.
By sharing this story, my hope is to remind current members—and inform future ones—of the roots and original vision that sparked the Machuca Valley experiment. The goal has always been to make a positive difference in the world: to honor nature rather than exploit it, and to strive for a life richer and more meaningful than the one we left behind when we came to Costa Rica.
The Real Builders of the Valley
Let's be honest. Stephen, Christian, and Marcelo didn't do it alone—just like Steve Jobs didn't invent the iPhone all by himself.
The valley was built by hundreds of families—visionaries, teachers, builders, healers, weirdos, planters, lovers, and leaders. Too many to name, but here are some honorable mentions, starting with those brave pioneers who lived the dream from the very beginning:
The Original Tacotal Pioneers (2006-2011): Bradley Scott Farmer (the first and most committed), Adam Baer, Christian Carranza, Stephen Brooks, Matthew Human, Xavier Fux, Maria Fernanda Larraguivel, Gretchen and Jonathan Felts, Sharin Kurstin, Dave and Heather Rosen, Kylah Barrett, Stefan Schaecter, Ian and Whitney, Jim and Astrid, Drew Dellinger, Liat Cohen, David Simpkins, Michelle Tessler Berlowitz, Heather Dunbar, Jim and Astrid, Katy Steadman, Zak Zaidman.
The Local Community Foundation: Diego and Juan (end of the road neighbors), Jesus (La Ecovilla's gardener from the beginning), Luis Chavez, Fernando (La Ecovilla's manager and community leader of La Libertad), and the La Libertad community who became close friends and collaborators with the early Tacotal settlers.
The La Ecovilla Builders: Marcelo Valansi (the developer who made it all happen), Sol Gonzales (Marcelo's wife who suggested the name "La Ecovilla" - you will always be in our hearts), Itai Hauben & Melina Hurtado (permaculture wizards, designers of Ecovilla's dome and gardens, and founders of the OG WhatsApp group called Buen Ride).
The Education Pioneers: Edgar Espinoza, Esperanza Chacón, Margarita Valencia (minds and hearts behind Casa Sula's pedagogy), Christina McKenzie & Kelly Hopkins (founders of Journey School), Simon, Eli, Bryan and all creators behind the Real World School.
The Community Connectors: Matthew Human (host of the Vida Verde Podcast, creator of memorable music and cultural events, and inventor of the name "Machuca Valley" to unite all eco-developments under one identity), Sarah Wu (herbalist, village witch, member of the Tacotal Collective), Anton (creator of the not-so-weekly-anymore Machuca Elements Newsletter).
The Next Generation: Canel & Sebastian (investors behind Ecovilla San Mateo), Christiane (organizing the Ecovilla San Mateo Weekly markets), and everyone serving on every committee, ever.
Thanks for Reading
If you made it this far… you're clearly one of us.
Thanks for reading. Thanks for caring. Thanks for being a part of this wild, evolving and exciting experiment called The Machuca Valley.
And there you have it, the origin story of the Machuca Valley—told in chronological order, honoring those who came before, and giving credit where credit is due. Now let's write the future together, and let's make it an awesome one, where we care about the land, forest, water, wildlife and our community and where we keep working and improving on ourselves.