La Huerta

La Huerta is a Caribbean island in the Greater Antilles where ten students win a free trip to in the Endless Summer series.

It is home to unique flora and fauna found no where else. According to Jake and Estela's mother, there are rumors it is used as a base for criminal schemes and illegal experiments. These rumors are later confirmed to be true. The personal office of Everett Rourke is located here.

La Huerta is also the native home of the Vaanti people, also known as the "Watchers". They have their own unique language, beliefs, judicial system, and hierarchy. The leader of the Vaanti was Ximaedra until her death in Book 2, Chapter 6. Her son Varyyn became the new leader and now takes on the title "Elyyshar".

Geography
La Huerta at first glance appears to be nothing but a tropical paradise, but is revealed to be home to several contradictory ecosystems. The southern and western sides of the island are indeed covered in the lush jungle one would expect from a tropical region. The jungles give way to sandy beaches near the sea and rocky outcrops near Mount Atropo. These foothills hide an alpine climate, complete with pine trees and snow.

The northwestern side of the island is given over completely to a rugged alpine climate, with deep snowbanks and temperatures so low that the surface of Lake Tethys is permanently frozen.

At the center of the island lies the volcano, Mount Atropo. The volcano is active, although numerous warning systems were put in place in the event of an eruption.

We also get to explore in Book 3, Chapter 2 an area called Colonnade Cove, which is a cluster of Vaanti villages, and in it is a market.

In Book 3, the group ventures to Neptune's Cove, which is famous for being a secret rendezvous point for lovers. Captain Malatesta describes it as "A great place to show a wench a good time".

Trivia

 * La Huerta doesn't have a direct translation, and can be interpreted as "garden" as well as "orchard".
 * However, Lila and Aleister state that the island means "The Garden."
 * The Watchers have their own name for the island - Vaanu.
 * La Huerta is said to be located in the Greater Antilles: the grouping of the largest Carribean islands which includes Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands. It was revealed in Endless Summer, Book 3, Chapter 1 that La Huerta was once a British colony. Whether it still belongs to the United Kingdom in the present day is unknown.
 * In Book 2, Chapter 4, it was revealed that there are four mighty beasts that guard La Huerta - the Giant Crab is the Shore Guardian, Cetus is the Sea Guardian, the Yeti is the Mountain Guardian and the Oryctoraptor is the Deep Guardian.
 * La Huerta was mention in Chapter 14 of Hero, Vol. 1 by Silas Prescott.
 * It was also mentioned in Chapter 3 of The Junior, Book 1 as a lotion brand.