San Pedro Pochutla
Encyclopedia
San Pedro Pochutla is a city and municipality located in the south of Oaxaca
state, Mexico next to the Pacific Ocean.
It is an important commercial, transportation and administrative hub for the Pochutla District
in the east of the Costa Region
. Pochutla is located at the junction of coastal Highway 200 and Highway 175 to Oaxaca, with 175 functioning as the town’s main thoroughfare. Its name means "place of kapok trees (Ceiba pentandra)" and most of the city is built on a lakebed which was drained during the colonial period. The municipality is best known as being the home of the oceanside communities of Puerto Ángel
and Zipolite
.
.
At the time of the Spanish conquest, the Spanish town of Pochutla was founded by Pedro Molina, Isidro Salinas, Julio Diaz and others, initially with the name of Huehuetan. The locals were converted to Christianity and the first church was founded just south of the modern town and called San Pedro Huehuetán Laguna. Much of the modern city is built on what was a lakebed. Because of illnesses such as malaria
and yellow fever
, this lake was drained. Later in the colonial period, the name was changed to Pochutla due to the number of kapok trees in the area.
According to tradition and archeological evidence located in the hills of Vigía, Espino and El Cometa, there were arms hidden here by pirates, who were called Pichilingües.
In 1833, Conservative rebels led by General Valentín Canalizo
fled through here as they were pursued by government troops. Their last battle was at the nearby Soledad Ranch in which they were destroyed by federal forces, forcing the remaining soldiers to scatter.
Conservative rebels continued to be active in this region until the 1860s with José Eustaquio Manzano and Apolonio Manzano leading the rebel cause, reinvigorated due to the passage of the Reform Laws. In 1858 and 1859, federal forces were dispatched here to subdue the rebels who had taken to guerrilla warfare. The last battle between the Manzano brothers and federal troops took place in 1860, with the brothers captured and taken to the state capital in 1861.
The municipality has a petroleum reserve called Aragón, five km from the community of Puerto Angel. The deposit was going to be exploited by an English company, who brought over equipment in 1937, but expropriation of oil in 1938 by President Lázaro Cárdenas
brought this to a halt. It has yet to be tapped.
Until late in the 20th century, much of the population of the area lived on subsistence farming, with the only work available during the harvest season on the coffee plantations. In the 1970, the state government expropriated most of the coastal land from Zipolite to Zapotengo and made it ejido
or communal land with the aim of development.
During the 2006 teachers strike
in the state of Oaxaca, groups supporting and opposing the strike clashed here on the main road, Highway 175. The highway was blocked by those supporting the strike to prevent those opposing it from realizing their “March for Education.” The highway was blocked with busses and cars preventing those bound for the state capital from leaving.
Other recent strikes include those by taxi drivers and others in transportation who have blocked roads resulting in monetary losses for the municipality. The dispute centered on concessions for passenger transportation between Pochutla and beach communities such as Zipolite. Actions by strikers have included the blockage of roads including coastal Highway 200.
which generally lack these things. The city is on the crossroads of Highway 175, which connects Oaxaca city with Puerto Angel and coastal Highway 200 that connects communities such as Puerto Angel, Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Huatulco and Salina Cruz. It is a transportation hub filled with buses, taxis and dust. Taxis called “colectivos” (collectives) go to the area’s beaches as well as pickup trucks fitted to carry passengers. There are two bus stations with first and second class busses to Oaxaca city
, Mexico City
and Huatulco
.
It is not a tourist attraction but it serves tourists as a place for banking services and supplies not available in the beach communities as well as a transfer point for buses.
In the evening, the main road through town has a variety of street food. The parish church was begun in 1840 but was not finished until 1957. The municipal palace was built in 1873. The center, especially the main plaza and the municipal palace, has recently been renovated and a new amphitheatre has been built to host cultural and sporting events. The patron saint’s day is 29 June in which people celebrate with masks, and fireworks, some set in frames called “castles.”
Pochutla gained the title of city in March 2003.
It is the seat of the Pochutla District
, and is also the head of the Parish of Pochutla which oversees 39 other communities.
The climate here is hot and humid due to its proximity to the ocean with a rainy season in the summer. Average temperatures vary between 30 and 38C. The south of the municipality is oceanfront and the north is formed by mountains of the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca. Various rivers pass through here on their way to the Pacific Ocean even more arroyos
filling during the summer rainy season. Most of the rain falls in the mountains areas of the municipality rather than on the coast. Principal elevations include Vigia and Espino from which the main river flows. Despite the drainage of the principle lake, malaria is still a concern here. Vegetation is of the tropical and sub-tropical types and include a number of valuable tropical wood trees such as huanacastle, mahogany
, cedar
and Guaiacum coulteri
, which are primarily used to make furniture. Common wildlife includes iguana
s, deer, wild boar, armadillo
s, rabbits, raccoon
s and numerous birds native to the area. Coastal species include black coral, turtles sea bass, sharks and crabs, with bass, mojarra
and shrimp found in the rivers.
The principle cultivated crop here is coffee, which provides most of the employment of the rural population. This is raised in the mountain areas. Second is the raising of coconuts and products based on it such as coconut oil. Another important crop is mango
s. Other crops grown include corn, sesame seed, peanuts, limes, plums, bananas, watermelons and other melons. About 50% of the total population is dedicated to commerce, especially that related to tourism. About 22% is dedicated to mining, petroleum, and industry.
A number of traditions are maintained, mostly in the rural areas. In rural communities, various dialects of the Zapotec language
are still spoken. Crafts include figures carved from coconuts, in the regional penitentiary are made necklaces and figures from black coral, wood and other materials. Traditional dress until recently consisted of loose fitting white pants and shirts made of lightweight canvas but this has mostly given way to modern clothing especially in the city. However, older women can still be seen in canvas blouses, rebozo
s, sandals and wearing long braids. Local specialties include iguana tamale
s and venison
in yellow or red mole. Traditional music includes songs called “sones” and chilenas. Local “sones” include titles such as El Perro, El Arriero, El Borracho, El Zopilote, El Toro and El Panadero. Dance garb for women includes long, wide skirts and blouses in various bright colors adorned with ribbons and with the blouses embroidered with flowers. Accessories include rebozos, sandals and palm-leaf hats. The men wear white pants and shirts with sandals and palm-leaf hats. Most of the dances have themes relating to flirting and falling in love. A dance called the “Kirio” is performed at weddings.
In Puerto Angel, the Universidad del Mar (University of the Sea) was founded in 1991 by Heladio Ramirez Lopez, governor of the state of Oaxaca.
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
state, Mexico next to the Pacific Ocean.
It is an important commercial, transportation and administrative hub for the Pochutla District
Pochutla District, Oaxaca
Pochutla District is located in the east of the Costa Region of the State of Oaxaca, Mexico. The primary city is San Pedro Pochutla.-Municipalities:The district includes the following municipalities:* Candelaria Loxicha* Pluma Hidalgo...
in the east of the Costa Region
Costa Region, Oaxaca
The Costa Region or Costa Chica lies on the Pacific coast of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, below the more mountainous Sierra Sur inland from the coast...
. Pochutla is located at the junction of coastal Highway 200 and Highway 175 to Oaxaca, with 175 functioning as the town’s main thoroughfare. Its name means "place of kapok trees (Ceiba pentandra)" and most of the city is built on a lakebed which was drained during the colonial period. The municipality is best known as being the home of the oceanside communities of Puerto Ángel
Puerto Ángel
Puerto Ángel is a small coastal town in the Mexican state of Oaxaca located in the municipality of San Pedro Pochutla. It, along with San Agustinillo and Playa Zipolite are known as the "Riviera Oaxaqueña. It is located 9 km south of city of Pochutla fifty km west of Huatulco and eighty km...
and Zipolite
Zipolite
Playa Zipolite is a beach community located in San Pedro Pochutla municipality on the southern coast of Oaxaca state in Mexico. It is located between Huatulco and Puerto Escondido and is part of the “Riviera Oaxaqueña” area. Zipolite is best known as being one of Mexico’s very few nude beaches and...
.
History
The Pochutla area was settled by Zapotec tribes from Amatlán, Miahuatlán and Cuatlan in the 8th century. The settlement now known as Pochutla was founded around the same time as nearby Loxicha, Cozoaltepec and others. The area was part of the dominion of TututepecTututepec
Tututepec is a Mesoamerican archaeological site located in the lower Río Verde valley on the coast of Oaxaca that formed the nucleus of an extensive Mixtec state during the Late Postclassic period...
.
At the time of the Spanish conquest, the Spanish town of Pochutla was founded by Pedro Molina, Isidro Salinas, Julio Diaz and others, initially with the name of Huehuetan. The locals were converted to Christianity and the first church was founded just south of the modern town and called San Pedro Huehuetán Laguna. Much of the modern city is built on what was a lakebed. Because of illnesses such as malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
and yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
, this lake was drained. Later in the colonial period, the name was changed to Pochutla due to the number of kapok trees in the area.
According to tradition and archeological evidence located in the hills of Vigía, Espino and El Cometa, there were arms hidden here by pirates, who were called Pichilingües.
In 1833, Conservative rebels led by General Valentín Canalizo
Valentín Canalizo
Valentín Canalizo was a Mexican general and conservative politician. He was a supporter of a centralist national government and an obedient follower and confidante of General Antonio López de Santa Anna...
fled through here as they were pursued by government troops. Their last battle was at the nearby Soledad Ranch in which they were destroyed by federal forces, forcing the remaining soldiers to scatter.
Conservative rebels continued to be active in this region until the 1860s with José Eustaquio Manzano and Apolonio Manzano leading the rebel cause, reinvigorated due to the passage of the Reform Laws. In 1858 and 1859, federal forces were dispatched here to subdue the rebels who had taken to guerrilla warfare. The last battle between the Manzano brothers and federal troops took place in 1860, with the brothers captured and taken to the state capital in 1861.
The municipality has a petroleum reserve called Aragón, five km from the community of Puerto Angel. The deposit was going to be exploited by an English company, who brought over equipment in 1937, but expropriation of oil in 1938 by President Lázaro Cárdenas
Lázaro Cárdenas
Lázaro Cárdenas del Río was President of Mexico from 1934 to 1940.-Early life:Lázaro Cárdenas was born on May 21, 1895 in a lower-middle class family in the village of Jiquilpan, Michoacán. He supported his family from age 16 after the death of his father...
brought this to a halt. It has yet to be tapped.
Until late in the 20th century, much of the population of the area lived on subsistence farming, with the only work available during the harvest season on the coffee plantations. In the 1970, the state government expropriated most of the coastal land from Zipolite to Zapotengo and made it ejido
Ejido
The ejido system is a process whereby the government promotes the use of communal land shared by the people of the community. This use of community land was a common practice during the time of Aztec rule in Mexico...
or communal land with the aim of development.
During the 2006 teachers strike
2006 Oaxaca protests
The Mexican state of Oaxaca was embroiled in a conflict that lasted more than seven months and resulted in at least seventeen deaths and the occupation of the capital city of Oaxaca by the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca . The conflict emerged in May 2006 with the police responding to a...
in the state of Oaxaca, groups supporting and opposing the strike clashed here on the main road, Highway 175. The highway was blocked by those supporting the strike to prevent those opposing it from realizing their “March for Education.” The highway was blocked with busses and cars preventing those bound for the state capital from leaving.
Other recent strikes include those by taxi drivers and others in transportation who have blocked roads resulting in monetary losses for the municipality. The dispute centered on concessions for passenger transportation between Pochutla and beach communities such as Zipolite. Actions by strikers have included the blockage of roads including coastal Highway 200.
The city
The city is the commercial, transportation and administrative center for the area. It contains banks, supermarkets and specialty stores that serve the coastal and isolated mountain communities of the Sierra Madre de OaxacaSierra Madre de Oaxaca
The Sierra Madre de Oaxaca is a mountain range in southern Mexico. It begins at Pico de Orizaba and extends in a southeasterly direction for 300 km until reaching the Isthmus of Tehuantepec...
which generally lack these things. The city is on the crossroads of Highway 175, which connects Oaxaca city with Puerto Angel and coastal Highway 200 that connects communities such as Puerto Angel, Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Huatulco and Salina Cruz. It is a transportation hub filled with buses, taxis and dust. Taxis called “colectivos” (collectives) go to the area’s beaches as well as pickup trucks fitted to carry passengers. There are two bus stations with first and second class busses to Oaxaca city
Oaxaca, Oaxaca
The city and municipality of Oaxaca de Juárez, or simply Oaxaca, is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of the same name . It is located in the Centro District in the Central Valleys region of the state, in the foothills of the Sierra Madre at the base of the Cerro del Fortín...
, Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
and Huatulco
Huatulco
Huatulco , centered on the town of La Crucecita, is a tourist development in Mexico. It is located on the Pacific coast in the state of Oaxaca. Huatulco's tourism industry is centered on its nine bays thus the name Bahias de Huatulco but has since been unofficially shortened to simply Huatulco...
.
It is not a tourist attraction but it serves tourists as a place for banking services and supplies not available in the beach communities as well as a transfer point for buses.
In the evening, the main road through town has a variety of street food. The parish church was begun in 1840 but was not finished until 1957. The municipal palace was built in 1873. The center, especially the main plaza and the municipal palace, has recently been renovated and a new amphitheatre has been built to host cultural and sporting events. The patron saint’s day is 29 June in which people celebrate with masks, and fireworks, some set in frames called “castles.”
Pochutla gained the title of city in March 2003.
It is the seat of the Pochutla District
Pochutla District, Oaxaca
Pochutla District is located in the east of the Costa Region of the State of Oaxaca, Mexico. The primary city is San Pedro Pochutla.-Municipalities:The district includes the following municipalities:* Candelaria Loxicha* Pluma Hidalgo...
, and is also the head of the Parish of Pochutla which oversees 39 other communities.
The municipality
As municipal seat, the city of San Pedro Pochutla is the governing authority over 238 other named communities, with a total area of 421km2. This municipality has a total population of 38,798 of with 12,117 live in the city proper. The most important communities other than the seat include Puerto Angel and Zipolite, both of which are oceanside communities. Zipolite is a popular tourist attraction and Puerto Angel was a coffee export port whose economy now is based on tourism and fishing. Other beaches include La Mina, where waves crash noisily against rocks and Zapotengo with has miles of coconut groves next to the sand. There is also a fresh water spring in San José Chacalapa. The municipality borders Candelaria Loxicha, Pluma Hidalgo, Santa María Huatulco, Cozoaltepec and Santo Domingo with the Pacific Ocean to the south.The climate here is hot and humid due to its proximity to the ocean with a rainy season in the summer. Average temperatures vary between 30 and 38C. The south of the municipality is oceanfront and the north is formed by mountains of the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca. Various rivers pass through here on their way to the Pacific Ocean even more arroyos
Arroyo (creek)
An arroyo , a Spanish word translated as brook, and also called a wash is usually a dry creek or stream bed—gulch that temporarily or seasonally fills and flows after sufficient rain. Wadi is a similar term in Africa. In Spain, a rambla has a similar meaning to arroyo.-Types and processes:Arroyos...
filling during the summer rainy season. Most of the rain falls in the mountains areas of the municipality rather than on the coast. Principal elevations include Vigia and Espino from which the main river flows. Despite the drainage of the principle lake, malaria is still a concern here. Vegetation is of the tropical and sub-tropical types and include a number of valuable tropical wood trees such as huanacastle, mahogany
Mahogany
The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
, cedar
Cedar wood
Cedar wood comes from several different trees that grow in different parts of the world, and may have different uses.* California incense-cedar, from Calocedrus decurrens, is the primary type of wood used for making pencils...
and Guaiacum coulteri
Guaiacum coulteri
Guaiacum coulteri is a species of flowering plant in the caltrop family, Zygophyllaceae, that is native to western Mexico and Guatemala.-External links:...
, which are primarily used to make furniture. Common wildlife includes iguana
Iguana
Iguana is a herbivorous genus of lizard native to tropical areas of Central America and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his book Specimen Medicum, Exhibens Synopsin Reptilium Emendatam cum Experimentis circa Venena...
s, deer, wild boar, armadillo
Armadillo
Armadillos are New World placental mammals, known for having a leathery armor shell. Dasypodidae is the only surviving family in the order Cingulata, part of the superorder Xenarthra along with the anteaters and sloths. The word armadillo is Spanish for "little armored one"...
s, rabbits, raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
s and numerous birds native to the area. Coastal species include black coral, turtles sea bass, sharks and crabs, with bass, mojarra
Mojarra
The mojarras are a family, Gerreidae, of fishes in the order Perciformes. It has seven genera.Mojarras are a common prey and bait fish in many parts of the Caribbean including the South American Coast and Caribbean islands. These species tend to be difficult to identify in the field and often...
and shrimp found in the rivers.
The principle cultivated crop here is coffee, which provides most of the employment of the rural population. This is raised in the mountain areas. Second is the raising of coconuts and products based on it such as coconut oil. Another important crop is mango
Mango
The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
s. Other crops grown include corn, sesame seed, peanuts, limes, plums, bananas, watermelons and other melons. About 50% of the total population is dedicated to commerce, especially that related to tourism. About 22% is dedicated to mining, petroleum, and industry.
A number of traditions are maintained, mostly in the rural areas. In rural communities, various dialects of the Zapotec language
Zapotec language
The Zapotec language are a group of closely related indigenous Mesoamerican languages spoken by the Zapotec people from the southwestern-central highlands of Mexico. Present-day native speakers are estimated to number over half a million, with the majority inhabiting the state of Oaxaca....
are still spoken. Crafts include figures carved from coconuts, in the regional penitentiary are made necklaces and figures from black coral, wood and other materials. Traditional dress until recently consisted of loose fitting white pants and shirts made of lightweight canvas but this has mostly given way to modern clothing especially in the city. However, older women can still be seen in canvas blouses, rebozo
Rebozo
A rebozo is a woman's garment used in Mexico. Rectangular in shape, rebozos vary in size from 1.5 to upwards of three metres, and can be made of cotton, wool, silk, or articela. They can be worn as scarves or shawls, and women often use them to carry children and take products to the market. It is...
s, sandals and wearing long braids. Local specialties include iguana tamale
Tamale
A tamale — or more correctly tamal — is a traditional Latin American dish made of masa , which is steamed or boiled in a leaf wrapper. The wrapping is discarded before eating...
s and venison
Venison
Venison is the meat of a game animal, especially a deer but also other animals such as antelope, wild boar, etc.-Etymology:The word derives from the Latin vēnor...
in yellow or red mole. Traditional music includes songs called “sones” and chilenas. Local “sones” include titles such as El Perro, El Arriero, El Borracho, El Zopilote, El Toro and El Panadero. Dance garb for women includes long, wide skirts and blouses in various bright colors adorned with ribbons and with the blouses embroidered with flowers. Accessories include rebozos, sandals and palm-leaf hats. The men wear white pants and shirts with sandals and palm-leaf hats. Most of the dances have themes relating to flirting and falling in love. A dance called the “Kirio” is performed at weddings.
In Puerto Angel, the Universidad del Mar (University of the Sea) was founded in 1991 by Heladio Ramirez Lopez, governor of the state of Oaxaca.