La Encantada Biological Reserve

Between 2003 and 2004, the Figueroa Sandoval siblings decided to establish the Enrique Figueroa Foundation, named after their father, dedicated to promoting, protecting and improving vulnerable areas in the mountains of Metapán. They started buying land close to the Montecristo National Park. Their philosophy was clear: respect for nature and for the ancestral culture of the area.

They identified remaining coffee plants in a parcel where coffee had been grown for over a century. The rest of what is now the biological reserve, from 1900 to 2200 msnm, was cleared of paths to avoid human presence — leaving the space free for salamanders, quetzales, great curassows, spotted felines, pines, oaks and hundreds of other species, some new to science and others endangered.