Santa María Guienagati
Encyclopedia
Santa María Guienagati is a town and municipality
in Oaxaca
in south-western Mexico
.
It is in the north of the Tehuantepec District
in the west of the Istmo Region
.
The town was first settled by Zapotec migrants from Zaachila
, and the name Guienagati comes from Zapotec words meaning "Wilted Flower".
The area is mountainous, with a warm, dry climate.
Vegetation includes pochote, cocoa, mahogany, guirisiña, cedar, pine, pitch pine and fruit trees.
Wild fauna include deer, iguanas and armadillos.
There is an ecotourism
center in the Chayotopec community of the municipality, accessible from the town via a dirt road.
The center provides accommodation and arranges hiking and birdwatching, visits to coffee production facilities and local food.
The town is connected by a paved road to Ciudad Ixtepec and is served by a bus run by the Union of Zapotec and Mixe
People of the Isthmus .
The main economic activity is cultivation of coffee, corn and fruit.
There is also some cattle farming, and hunting and fishing for private consumption.
Some people are involved in logging.
In 1982 the farmers of Santa Maria Guienagati and Guevea de Humboldt
, with advice from Jesuit mission team from the Dicoese of Tehuantepec, formed the Union of Indigenous Communities of the Isthmus Region
to help gain better prices for their coffee crop. They were later joined by farmers from other communities in the Sierra Mixe
and northern Isthmus
region.
The cooperative, which gained legal status in 1983, assists in technical and financial assistance for local manufactures, as well as storage, transportation and national and international marketing of the products, of which the most important is coffee.
As it matured, it paid increased attention to the requirements of women and youth, and to health, education and nutrition.
The cooperative gained certification for its members' organic farming, and has established links to fair trade
organizations to improve the prices received.
Municipalities of Mexico State
The Mexican state of Mexico is made up of 125 municipios :-External links:* Estado de México / State of Mexico...
in 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...
in south-western Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
It is in the north of the Tehuantepec District
Tehuantepec District, Oaxaca
Tehuantepec District is located in the west of the Istmo Region of the State of Oaxaca, Mexico.It includes the cities of Salina Cruz and Tehuantepec.-Municipalities:The district includes the following municipalities:...
in the west of the Istmo Region
Istmo de Tehuantepec, Oaxaca
Istmo de Tehuantepec is the largest region in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. It covers the southern part of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the shortest route between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean before the Panama Canal was opened....
.
The town was first settled by Zapotec migrants from Zaachila
Zaachila
Zaachila was a powerful Mesoamerican city in what is now Oaxaca, Mexico, 6 km from the city of Oaxaca. The city is named after Zaachila Yoo, the Zapotec ruler, in the late 14th and early 15th century. It is now an archaeological site...
, and the name Guienagati comes from Zapotec words meaning "Wilted Flower".
Environment
The municipality covers an area of 211.79 km². The town is at an altitude of 310 meters above sea level.The area is mountainous, with a warm, dry climate.
Vegetation includes pochote, cocoa, mahogany, guirisiña, cedar, pine, pitch pine and fruit trees.
Wild fauna include deer, iguanas and armadillos.
There is an ecotourism
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...
center in the Chayotopec community of the municipality, accessible from the town via a dirt road.
The center provides accommodation and arranges hiking and birdwatching, visits to coffee production facilities and local food.
Economy
As of 2005, the municipality had 656 households with a total population of 2,911 of whom 684 spoke an indigenous language.The town is connected by a paved road to Ciudad Ixtepec and is served by a bus run by the Union of Zapotec and Mixe
Mixe
The Mixe or Mije is an indigenous group inhabiting the eastern highlands of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. They speak the Mixe languages which are classified in the Mixe–Zoque family, and are more culturally conservative than other indigenous groups of the region, maintaining their language to this...
People of the Isthmus .
The main economic activity is cultivation of coffee, corn and fruit.
There is also some cattle farming, and hunting and fishing for private consumption.
Some people are involved in logging.
In 1982 the farmers of Santa Maria Guienagati and Guevea de Humboldt
Guevea de Humboldt
Guevea de Humboldt is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico.It in the north of the Tehuantepec District, which is in the west of the Istmo Region.-History:...
, with advice from Jesuit mission team from the Dicoese of Tehuantepec, formed the Union of Indigenous Communities of the Isthmus Region
Union of Indigenous Communities of the Isthmus Region
The Union of Indigenous Communities of the Isthmus Region , is a farmer's cooperative in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. It was established in 1982 to assist in production, marketing and distribution of locally produced coffee and other products....
to help gain better prices for their coffee crop. They were later joined by farmers from other communities in the Sierra Mixe
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....
and northern Isthmus
Istmo de Tehuantepec, Oaxaca
Istmo de Tehuantepec is the largest region in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. It covers the southern part of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the shortest route between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean before the Panama Canal was opened....
region.
The cooperative, which gained legal status in 1983, assists in technical and financial assistance for local manufactures, as well as storage, transportation and national and international marketing of the products, of which the most important is coffee.
As it matured, it paid increased attention to the requirements of women and youth, and to health, education and nutrition.
The cooperative gained certification for its members' organic farming, and has established links to fair trade
Fair trade
Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards...
organizations to improve the prices received.