For the past 45 years, Martin and Sinforosa Colomer have been the only two residents of La Estrella, an abandoned village in Spain. The only living beings they have for company are three dogs, four hens, a rooster, about 25 cats, and a few bees. The closest inhabited town is at least 25 kilometers away!

It’s a strange way to live, without any human contact, almost like they’re the last two people on earth. But the tiny village was not always this isolated. It was once bustling with life, with hundreds of inhabitants, a church, two schoolhouses, and several bars. In fact, La Estrella has an interesting past – legend has it that the village was constructed exclusively for the mistresses of many wealthy men.

According to various sources, a torrential storm in 1883 killed nearly half the inhabitants and destroyed at least 17 houses. The village square, vicarage and church remained unharmed, and a memorial was erected for all those who died. The place lost its charm after that and locals slowly began to abandon their homes.

Photo: video caption

Martin and Sinforosa’s story begins about 70 years later, when they became one of the few youth still living in La Estrella. “I met her one day when she was bringing the cattle in from the fields,” Martin recalled. “I went to the farm and brought cattle in, too.” They later met at one of the two remaining tavernas in the village, fell in love, and married.

The Colomers raised a family in La Estrella, choosing to stay even when many of their fellow villagers left for cities in search work. “Some 150, 200 people lived here before,” Martin said. “We had teachers, some professionals, a mayor, a sheriff, the undertaker, and a priest. In a year or two, almost everybody left.”

Photo: video caption

Sadly, their daughter passed away when she was only 12, due to an embolism in her head. “When she got to the hospital she was still alive,” Martin said. “They gave her blood but it came out faster than it could go in. She would be 48 now.” Perhaps the village helped them stay close to their daughter, or perhaps they were just happy being home, but the Colomers never left the village. Not even when they were the last ones there.

“Many people say how well we live, but I say, ‘Come and live here a while and see how long you can stand it,” he said. “Because my wife was born in this place, she has always lived here. She doesn’t want to leave. Had it been up to me, we would have left the town a long time ago. But I can’t leave her by herself. What else can we do?”

Photo: La Velleta Verda

Today, Martin, 79, and Sinforosa, 82, live without a phone, television, electricity, or water. They have an old car to take them to the nearest town once in a while, but they seem quite happy with their simple lives. “We have plenty to do with the animals and our cherry trees,” they said. “A radio is just fine. Most weekends, someone visits.”

The story of Martin and Sinforosa Colomer, the last two inhabitants of La Estrella, was recently covered in a short video recently posted on Aeon.co.