San Juan Mazatlán is a town and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...

in south-western

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. It is part of the

Sierra Mixe The Sierra Mixe or Mixes District is a district in the east of the Sierra Norte Region of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It comprises 17 municipalities and covers 4,930 km2 at an average elevation of 1,200 meters above sea level. As of 2005 the dis ...

district within the

Sierra Norte de Oaxaca La Sierra Norte de Oaxaca is a heavily wooded region in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. It is 62 km from the city of Oaxaca on Federal highway 175, heading east towards Tuxtepec. The region is divided into three districts: Ixtlán, which has ...

Region. Mazatlán's name in Nahuatl means "the place of deer".

Environment

The municipality covers an area of 1990.28 km². The town is 520 meters above sea level. The climate is temperate, with an average temperature of 20°C, and humid. Local flowers include tulip, marigold, bougainvillea, gardenia and margarita. The forests contain pine, cedar, ceiba, mamey, huanacasle, caobilla and cypress, with fruit provided by oranges, tangerines, custard apples, mangoes and avocados. Local birds are pheasant, chachalacas, ostrich, quail, parrots, parakeets, toucans and perníz. Wild animals include mountain lions, pumas, bobcats, leopards, tapirs, weasels, mouse, gopher, rabbit, anteater, and raccoons. There are various types of snake including deaf adder, boa, coral, and rattlesnake, as well as chameleons, lizards and iguanas.

Economy

As of 2005, the municipality had 3,319 households with a total population of 16,138 of whom 8,543 spoke an indigenous language. Most homes have dirt floors, tiled or sheet metal roofs and walls of adobe and brick. The municipal seat is connected by dirt road to the main highway that leads to

Matías Romero Matías Romero Avendaño (24 February 1837 – 30 December 1898) was a Mexican politician and diplomat who served three times as Secretary of Finance and twice as ambassador of Mexico to the United States during the 19th century. Early life R ...

. The people mostly grow coffee in the main town and in the communities of San Pedro Chimaltepec, Santiago Malacatepec, La Nueva Esperanza, Santa María Villa Hermosa, San Pedro Acatlán, Loma Santa Cruz, San Antonio del Valle, Rancho Juárez and Monte Aguila. The

Union of Indigenous Communities of the Isthmus Region The Union of Indigenous Communities of the Isthmus Region ( es, Unión de Comunidades Indígenas de la Región del Istmo, or UCIRI), is a farmer's cooperative in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. It was established in 1982 to assist in production, mark ...

, a cooperative founded in 1982, assists in production and distribution of the local products, notably coffee, under a

fair trade Fair trade is an arrangement designed to help producers in developing countries achieve sustainable and equitable trade relationships. The fair trade movement combines the payment of higher prices to exporters with improved social and enviro ...

label. The people also cultivate corn, beans and peppers of various kinds for their own use. Some communities grow lemon, oranges, mandarins and mamey. There is very small scale cattle breeding, and more deer ("mazates") than cattle in the area.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:San Juan Mazatlan Municipalities of Oaxaca