La Huerta

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

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 is Varyyn, who takes on the name "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.

Trivia

 * La Huerta doesn't have a direct translation, and can be interpreted as "garden" as well as "orchard".
 * 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 is not clear what country, if any, La Huerta is claimed by, since the archipelago is geopolitically divided between six nations: Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, the United Kingdom (Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory) and the United States (of which Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory).
 * In Book 2, Chapter 4, it was hinted that La Huerta was their new home when Jake said, "This is our new home". If one looked at the context, it could be argued that he was referring to Sharktooth Isle.