El Espinal, Spanish for "the spine" is a town and

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

Oaxaca Oaxaca, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca, is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of the Mexico, United Mexican States. It is divided into municipalities of Oaxaca, 570 munici ...

, southeastern

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. As of 2005, the municipality had a population of 8,219.

Geography

Covering an area of 82.93 km², El Espinal is part of the

Juchitán District Juchitán District is located in the east of the Istmo de Tehuantepec region of the State of Oaxaca, Mexico and the easternmost district in Oaxaca, covering the southern part of a low-lying corridor through the mountains that separates the Gulf of ...

in the west of the Istmo de Tehuantepec region. The area is a plain, ideal for agriculture, with a very warm and somewhat humid climate. It shares boundaries with Asunción Ixtaltepec to the north, Comitancillo and San Pedro Comitancillo to the west, and

Juchitán de Zaragoza Juchitán de Zaragoza (; Spanish name; Isthmus Zapotec: ''Xabizende'' ) is an indigenous town in the southeast of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is part of the Juchitán District in the west of the Istmo de Tehuantepec region. With a 2020 cens ...

to the south.

History

El Espinal was recognized as a town in 1808, just before

Mexican Independence The Mexican War of Independence (, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from the Spanish Empire. It was not a single, coherent event, but local and regional ...

. This zone did not play an important role during the toughest years of the struggle for the independence of Mexico. Non of the important movements towards independence started here. Nor any of the important personalities that fought for independence was originally from this municipality. El Espinal remained isolated from national events that took place elsewhere.

Infrastructure

In terms of education, the municipality has one kindergarten, four grammar schools, two middle schools, and one high school. Additionally, there is one computer lab and a small English school. Health care is limited, with only one center providing basic services and first aid. Sports play an important role in El Espinal, with young people frequently using the local facilities. These include two small soccer fields, two basketball courts, and a running track. The most prominent facility is the baseball field, as many well-known Mexican baseball professionals come from this municipality. In regard to population and according to a local source from 2005, there are about 2,172 houses from which 2,115 are owned by the population.

Gastronomy

Traditional foods in El Espinal include the black mole, stewed beef, jerked beef, tamales, marquesote, garnachas, corn tamales, chiles stuffed with different types of meat and seafood.

References

{{Juchitán District, Oaxaca Municipalities of Oaxaca