Andean Paradise is an independent online bookstore dedicated to preserving and sharing powerful stories from the Andes and beyond. Our flagship title, Memories of an Andean Childhood, tells the true story of Coriwayta (“Golden Flower”), a mountain farm girl raised in a remote Peruvian village nearly 11,000 feet above sea level—without roads, electricity, running water, clocks, or even the wheel. Living a pre-industrial life until the age of twelve, she later educated herself in Lima, became a professional woman, and ultimately emigrated to the United States. Now known by her married name, Nelly Koetzner, her life journey spans from “stone age” traditions to the modern “space age,” offering readers a rare, authentic glimpse into a disappearing world. At Andean Paradise, we believe stories like these deserve to be remembered, honored, and shared.

Andean Paradise is an independent online bookstore devoted to preserving and sharing authentic stories from the Andes and other remote cultures of the world. Our mission is to bring readers closer to lives shaped by tradition, resilience, and a deep connection to the land. We believe that stories rooted in lived experience have the power to educate, inspire, and preserve cultural memory for future generations. At the heart of Andean Paradise is the memoir Memories of an Andean Childhood, the true story of Coriwayta (“Golden Flower”), a mountain farm girl raised in a primitive Peruvian village nearly 11,000 feet above sea level. Until the age of twelve, she lived a pre-industrial life without roads, electricity, running water, clocks, or even the wheel. Her later journey—self-education in Lima, professional life, and eventual emigration to the United States—bridges centuries of human experience in a single lifetime. Now known by her married name, Nelly Koetzner, her story represents countless voices rarely heard—women, indigenous communities, and rural families whose ways of life are rapidly disappearing. Andean Paradise exists to honor these voices, preserve their memories, and share their stories with the world.