The ATEC office and store in Puerto Viejo was able to open its doors with the support of international grants.  At our store, we made public phones available and opened a communications center. We introduced the Internet to the region and incorporated an internet café, a traveler’s resource center, made school and office supplies available, and it was for years the only office/copy center in the region. In recent years, the previously isolated Talamanca region has seen rapid and irresponsible infrastructure development and a dramatic population influx that endangers its natural beauty and charm. We at ATEC and as a community continue to strive to maintain balance, protect the ecology, and sustain our cultural identities that makes this little piece of Earth special.