Similar to almost any other racial or ethnic group in the United States, African Americans can trace their origins to a faraway ancestral homeland, which in the vast majority of cases is in West Africa, formerly the epicenter of the Transatlantic slave trade.

Born and raised in Detroit, Walter Eugene King was intrigued by his forgotten cultural legacy from childhood, immersing himself for decades in African studies. Following a trip to Cuba, where King was initiated as a Yoruba priest and officially became Efuntola Osejiman Adefunmi, he established a temple in Harlem, NYC, dedicated to his ancestral African religion.

After passing his knowledge to a growing number of people, King and dozens of his followers relocated in 1970 to a secluded and forested corner of South Carolina, where they founded the Oyotunji African Village, an authentic African community that bears an uncanny resemblance to the Yoruba villages of South Nigeria. Inspired by the ancient African kingdom of Oyo that once encompassed vast areas in West Africa, the village is named “Oyotunji,” literally meaning “Oyo emerges again” in the Yoruba language.

Nestled along South Carolina’s Route 17, about 5.5 miles from Interstate 95, Oyotunji is easily accessible by car and offers free parking. As you reach the village’s entrance, you’ll come across a sign informing you of your “departure” from U.S. territory in both English and Yoruba. While border control isn’t really enforced here, the village’s iconic gate serves as a portal to a self-proclaimed independent community with its own flag, laws, and even a ruler.

Open daily from 11 AM to 6 PM, the village doesn’t officially have an admission fee. However, visitors who wish to explore its premises are required to do so with a $20 guided tour after a quick registration at the reception, or alternatively, they can book in advance via the website. Following a clamorous drumming by the traditionally dressed guide to notify the villagers of a brand-new guest, the visitor is then taken to all of the village’s highlights, including the royal palace, the residential areas, and the dozens of shrines in between.

The village also annually hosts 15 different festivals, where a series of traditional rituals, musical performances, parties, parades, and teachings take place, each dedicated to a distinct Yoruba deity, known as Orishas. During festivals, the local marketplace offers visitors a plethora of artisanal souvenirs, the revenues of which serve as a significant part of the village’s overall budget.

Perhaps Oyotunji’s most conspicuous feature, the numerous sanctums across the village, are each dedicated to a specific divine entity known as Orisha. According to the Yoruba indigenous religion, Orishas function as manifestations of the supreme being, Olodumare, and as such, play the same role as saints in other religions. In striking resemblance to many of the world’s ancient mythologies, the Yoruba deities are divided by their distinct duties and moral obligations.

At first glance, the vividly colorful sculptures around each of the village’s shrines might seem like part of an African Disneyland. Nonetheless, every statue and ornament was meticulously created as a means to appease the supreme beings rather than the occasional tourists. Since Orishas are known for their unfathomable appetite for gifts, the spectacular shrines are accompanied by an altar where they are bestowed with a hodgepodge of food items, alcoholic drinks, knickknacks, and incense.

Interestingly, the Oyotunji villagers assert that one of their deities, Olokun, the patron Orisha of the sea who is also associated with wealth and prosperity, was the source of inspiration behind the Starbucks logo. According to them, the giant coffee chain owes its success to the blue divinity.

As one might expect from a kingdom, even if a minuscule one, Oyotunji boasts a royal palace where the current ruler, Oba Adejuyigbe Adefunmi II, and his family members reside. The royal complex includes several public buildings and shrines, designed with the utmost attention to detail. In fact, some of the people who took part in the construction have previously traveled to Africa, where they were educated by locals on how to authentically build a Yoruba palace.

After crossing the main gate of the royal complex, you’ll come across a ceremonial courtyard, flanked by a couple of hovels, one of which is supported by giant sculptures of shirtless women, while the other is decorated with portraits of Oyotunji’s key female figures. Another interesting place is a public gathering space known as Obatala, which is nestled alongside an unusual burial compound that serves as the eternal home of late prominent villagers.

With so many dazzling visual stimuli around, it is easy to forget that people actually live in the village, engaging in their day-to-day activities alongside its myriad of shrines and monuments. After peaking in the 1970s with roughly 250 inhabitants, the population of Oyotunji currently consists of only a few families. The demographic decline is partly to blame on the relocation of some villagers to a nearby settlement, gradually making Oyotunji a far less residential-oriented place than it used to be shortly after its inauguration.

Despite its low population, new residents still move in, as the recently constructed timber houses at the outer parts testify. Each person who wishes to become an Oyotunji member must meet several criteria and then undergo a long initiation process. It might come as a surprise, but this African-American community doesn’t officially admit new residents based on their ethnic background. Therefore, theoretically, people of other races can also become villagers.

While the village is considered by its inhabitants to be an independent nation, in practice, the vast majority of people who call Oyotunji home work outside, where they also spend most of their time. In an attempt to be as self-sufficient as possible, a considerable percentage of the food is grown within the village, including mini-farms and livestock.