Santa María Temaxcaltepec 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 ...

in south-western

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 ...

. It is part of the Juquila District in the center of the

Costa Region The Costa Region or Costa Chica lies on the Pacific coast of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, south of the more mountainous Sierra Sur inland from the coast. It includes the districts of Jamiltepec, Juquila and Pochutla. Climate The region has a ...

Name

The name "Temaxcaltepec" means "hill of baths", a reference to the use of steam baths or sweat lodges to cure the sick.

Geography

The municipality covers an area of 86.8 km² at an elevation of 1,320 above sea level. The terrain is rugged, in the foothills of the

Sierra Madre del Sur The Sierra Madre del Sur is a mountain range in southern Mexico, extending from southern Michoacán east through Guerrero, to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in eastern Oaxaca. Geography The Sierra Madre del Sur joins with the Eje Volcánico Transv ...

. Rainfall of 2,057 mm occurs mostly between June and October.

Flora and fauna

Flora include amate, fig, locust, avocado, mahogany, oak, cedar, palm, hormiguillo and pastures. Wildlife includes squirrels, armadillos, opossum, fox and badger.

Demography

As of 2005, the municipality had 505 households with a total population of 2,628 of whom 2,081 spoke an indigenous language. Agriculture is the main economic activity. Temaxcaltepec is one of the centers of the Chatino people, related to the Zapotec but with a distinct language. Municipal representatives are selected according to the traditional indigenous system (usos y costumbres). In December 2007 there were disturbances when the state electoral authority failed to recognize the leaders who had been selected in this way.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Santa Maria Temaxcaltepec Municipalities of Oaxaca