Santiago Lachiguiri is a town and municipality

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 part 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....

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Environment

The municipality covers an area of 673.63 km². The Cerro de las Flores is the highest mountain in the Isthmo region at 2,200 meters above sea level.
The climate in the lower south side of the mountains is hot, with a constant wind from north to south.
Flora include pine, oak, mango, avocado, sapodilla, tamarind, plum, granaditas, peach and banana.
Wild fauna include tapir, badgers, cat, raccoon, armadillo, rabbit, boar, porcupines, coyotes, parrots and various reptiles.

Economy

As of 2005, the municipality had 1,110 households with a total population of 4.361 of which 2.339 people who speak an indigenous language.
The villagers grow coffee, maize, beans and chiles, raise cattle and log the cedar, pine and oak trees.
They practice hunting and fishing for private consumption.
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....

, a cooperative founded in 1982, assists in production and distribution of the local products, notably coffee, under 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...

or organic labels.

There are copper, iron, gold and quartz mines in the vicinity.
Arco Resources of Canada owns two mining claims near the town, El Pochotle and El Pochotle II, which it is investigating for precious metals.
Continuum Resources, another Canadian company, also has 3000 hectares of mining concessions near Santiago Lachiguiri.
These include older mines that in the past were used to access silver-rich zones of lead-zinc sulphides and oxides.