Sierra Sur is a region in the state of

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 ...

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 includes the districts of Putla,

Sola de Vega Villa Sola de Vega is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico, part of the Sola de Vega District in the Sierra Sur Region. Significado "Lugar de codornices" proviene de "zollin": codorniz y de "tlán": lugar de. Geography Th ...

, Miahuatlán and Yautepec.

Miahuatlán de Porfirio Díaz Miahuatlán de Porfirio Díaz is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-eastern Mexico. Geography The municipality covers an area of 467.4 km², and is situated at an average elevation of 1,600 meters. Miahuatlán is part of the Miahu ...

is the largest city. The region has 70 municipalities, some very poor, such as Zanizá, Amoltepec and Los Loxichas.

Geography

The region is mountainous, along the southern edge of the Sierra Madre del Sur, and includes Quiexoba, the second highest mountain in the state. Forest resources are still important, despite having suffered over-exploitation for decades, and include pines, mixed forests of oak and pine, fir, and areas of hormiguillo cacti. Fauna include opossums, armadillos, deer, rabbit and gopher. The climate is varied, ranging from hot and humid to temperate humid. The average temperature is 10°C to 22°C throughout the region. Average rainfall ranges from 800 to 2000mm annually.

Economy

Forestry is the main economic activity, with each community managing their forests and selling the logs to private mills. Agricultural production includes maize and beans, sugarcane and coffee. Livestock farming mostly consists of backyard breeding of chickens, goats, pigs and mules. Small factories produce

castor oil Castor oil is a vegetable oil pressed from castor beans. It is a colourless or pale yellow liquid with a distinct taste and odor. Its boiling point is and its density is 0.961 g/cm3. It includes a mixture of triglycerides in which about ...

and process mica. The region has deposits of iron and magnetite. Craft products include spirits and

mezcal Mezcal (, ), sometimes spelled mescal, is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from any type of agave. The word ''mezcal'' comes from Nahuatl , which means "oven-cooked agave", from and .What is MezcalElmezcal.org Traditionally the word "m ...

, palm products and cotton goods.

Cultural Groups

The region's inhabitants are Zapotec,

Mixtec The Mixtecs (), or Mixtecos, are indigenous Mesoamerican peoples of Mexico inhabiting the region known as La Mixteca of Oaxaca and Puebla as well as La Montaña Region and Costa Chica Regions of the state of Guerrero. The Mixtec Culture wa ...

, Chatinos,

Amuzgo The Amuzgos are an Indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous people of Mexico. They primarily live in a region along the Guerrero/Oaxaca border, chiefly in and around four municipalities: Xochistlahuaca, Tlacoachistlahuaca and Ometepec in Guerrero, ...

, Triques and

mestizos (; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed European and Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturally European even though their ...

, as well as emigrants from other parts of Mexico. Since pre-Hispanic times, there has been conflict between rival ethnic groups.

References

Regions of Oaxaca {{Oaxaca-geo-stub