Juanchaco is a tiny village on the west coast of Colombia, located within the Parque Nacional Natural Uramba Bahía Málaga, in the Colombian Pacific region. The latter stretches across the country from Panama to Ecuador, bordered by the Western Andes mountain range to the east, and is entirely covered by the Chocó-Darién rainforest, considered the rainiest place on earth. The presence of this ecosystem has kept the region almost uninhabited, with a population density estimated at just five people per square kilometre, mostly concentrated in the major cities of Quibdó, Tumaco, and Buenaventura. These conditions, along with the seclusion offered by the dense jungle vegetation and the appealing strategic access to the ocean, have made the Colombian Pacific the ideal location for developing clandestine activities.

Thus since the 1970s some areas including the department of Valle del Cauca, where Juanchaco is located, became some of the main centers for cocaine production in Colombia. Nowadays, despite the disappearance of major cartels such as the Cali and Norte del Valle cartels, the Colombian Pacific remains the region with the majority of the country’s coca plantations; moreover, they are concentrated in so-called “special management areas” that include national natural parks, forest reserves, indigenous reserves, and Afro-Colombian community lands. Additionally, in the Pacific region, over the past fifteen years, the presence of narco-paramilitary groups and guerrillas, such as the ELN and FARC, has been documented, causing significant instability through violence, kidnappings, and extortions, not only targeting individuals directly involved in the various armed struggles but also the local population.

Juanchaco is an emblematic example of the underdevelopment of the Pacific region: a few hundred homes, often built from makeshift materials like wooden planks and metal sheets, separate the beach from the jungle. An airport with a single runway is the only way to reach Juanchaco besides by sea, and the only road in the area leads to Ladrilleros, the nearest village. The inhabitants are almost entirely engaged in fishing, as the presence of the jungle and limited resources make agriculture difficult. As a result, they heavily rely on maritime trade, through which almost everything they need is brought in.

The population of Juanchaco, like that of the entire Pacific region, is predominantly Afro-descendant and has historically been marginalized, subjected to abuse, and accustomed to struggle. On the other hand, these origins have endowed the local community with an extraordinary cultural richness: the folklore heritage of slaves deported by the Spanish between the 16th and 19th centuries is reflected in traditional cuisine and beverages, as well as in clothing, musical instruments, and celebrations. One of the most significant is the Día de la Afrocolombianidad, celebrated on May 21st, which marks the long-awaited abolition of slavery, enacted in 1851.

In recent years, Juanchaco has seen a slow but steady development in the tourism sector. The area’s beaches are a true tropical paradise for surfers and sea lovers, and from July to October, humpback whales that leave the cold waters of Antarctica and Chile to breed can be spotted. Thus, also thanks to external investments, the local community has started to engage in tourism by opening small restaurants and accommodations and organizing tours by sea or through the jungle. This has been possible by a partial improvement in security conditions, due to the peace agreement signed in 2016 between the Colombian government and the FARC, along with the fact that, according to United Nations reports, coca cultivation has partly shifted southward within the Pacific region.

The hope of the people of Juanchaco, whispered with reverence but reflected in the warm smiles they offer visitors, is to transform their village into a symbol of rebirth, leaving behind a past of misery and violence.