Tlaxiaco
Encyclopedia
Tlaxiaco is a city, and its surrounding municipality
Municipalities of Oaxaca
The Mexican state of Oaxacais made up of 571 municipalities —more than any other state....

 of the same name, in the Mexican 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...

. It is located in the Tlaxiaco District
Tlaxiaco District, Oaxaca
Tlaxiaco District is located in the south of the Mixteca Region of the State of Oaxaca, Mexico. The main city is the Heroic City of Tlaxiaco-Municipalities:The district includes the following municipalities:*Chalcatongo de Hidalgo*Magdalena Peñasco...

 in the south of the Mixteca Region
Mixteca Region, Oaxaca
The Mixteca Region is a region in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, part of the broader La Mixteca area which covers parts of the states of Puebla, Guerrero and Oaxaca....

, with a population of about 17,450. The city is formally known as Heroica Ciudad de Tlaxiaco("heroic city") in honour of a battle waged there during the 1862–67 French invasion
French intervention in Mexico
The French intervention in Mexico , also known as The Maximilian Affair, War of the French Intervention, and The Franco-Mexican War, was an invasion of Mexico by an expeditionary force sent by the Second French Empire, supported in the beginning by the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Spain...

. Tlaxiaco (IPA: /tla.'xia.ko/) is a Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...

 name containing the elements tlachtli (ball game
Mesoamerican ballgame
The Mesoamerican ballgame or Tlatchtli in Náhuatl was a sport with ritual associations played since 1,000 B.C. by the pre-Columbian peoples of Ancient Mexico and Central America...

), quiahuitl (rain), and -co (place marker). It thus approximates to "Place where it rains on the ball court". Its name in the Mixtec language is Ndijiinu, which means "good view".

The city

The city of Tlaxiaco stands at 17°16’N, 97°41’W, at 2040 metres above sea level, some 180 kilometres to the northeast of state capital Oaxaca de Juárez
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...

. To the north the municipality borders with Santiago Nundichi; to the south with San Antonio Sinicahua
San Antonio Sinicahua
San Antonio Sinicahua is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 48.5 km².It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region....

, San Miguel El Grande
San Miguel El Grande
San Miguel El Grande is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 4705 km².It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region....

, San Esteban Atatlahuca
San Esteban Atatlahuca
San Esteban Atatlahuca is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 61.24 km².It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region....

, Santa Cruz Nundaco
Santa Cruz Nundaco
Santa Cruz Nundaco is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of km².It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region.As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of ....

, Santo Tomás Ocotepec
Santo Tomás Ocotepec
Santo Tomás Ocotepec is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of km².It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region.As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of ....

, and Putla Villa de Guerrero
Putla Villa de Guerrero
Putla Villa de Guerrero or simply Putla, is a town and municipality in the State of Oaxaca, Mexico.It is part of Putla District in the west of the Sierra Sur Region....

; to the east with Santa María del Rosario
Santa María del Rosario
Santa María del Rosario is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of km².It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region....

, Santa Catarina Tayata
Santa Catarina Tayata
Santa Catarina Tayata is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of km².It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region.As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of ....

, San Cristobal Amoltepec
San Cristobal Amoltepec
San Cristobal Amoltepec is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 31.9 km².It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region....

, and Magdalena Peñasco
Magdalena Peñasco
Magdalena Peñasco is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 75.27 km².It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region.As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 3461....

; and to the west with San Juan Mixtepec. The municipality covers a total surface area of 343.2 km².

Tlaxiaco is located in temperate valley, surrounded by two mountains belonging to the Sierra Mixteca
Sierra Mixteca
The Sierra Mixteca is a mountainous region located between the states of Puebla and Oaxaca in south-central Mexico, in the region known as La Mixteca....

: Cerro Negro and Cerro Yucuninu, the latter of which is the highest point in the municipality at 2875 above sea level. Like most of the Mixteca
La Mixteca
La Mixteca is a cultural, economic and political region that covers parts of the states of Puebla, Guerrero and Oaxaca in south-central Mexico....

 region, the Tlaxiaco valley is drained by the Río Balsas system, which is fed by numerous small streams that rise in the hills near the municipal seat.

The climate is subhumid temperate, with a rainy reason in the summer. The average annual temperature is 18°C, although in winter temperatures can drop to zero or below. Unlike other areas in the Mixteca region, the Tlaxiaco valley and its surrounding mountains still possess some conifer forests, inhabited by species including deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...

s, 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, and other small mammals.

XETLA, a government-run indigenous
Indigenous peoples of Mexico
Mexico, in the second article of its Constitution, is defined as a "pluricultural" nation in recognition of the diverse ethnic groups that constitute it, and in which the indigenous peoples are the original foundation...

 community radio
Community radio
Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...

 station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...

, is based in Tlaxiaco.

Notable Tlaxiaqueños

  • Lila Downs
    Lila Downs
    Lila Downs is a Mexican singer-songwriter. She performs her own compositions as well as tapping into Mexican traditional and popular music...

    , singer
  • Raúl Gatica Bautista, writer
  • Juvenal Gonzalez, US Marine

The municipality

As municipal seat, Tlaxiaco has governing jurisdiction over the following communities:

Agua Zarca, Arboleda, Atayiki, Barranca Obscura, Barrio San Miguel, Barrio San Nicolás, Benito Juárez Cuquila, Cañada Alejandro, Cañada Candelaria, Cañada del Curtidor, Cañada María (Primera Sección), Cañada María (Segunda Sección), Cabayoco, Campo de Aviación, Capilla del Carrizal, Cerrito de la Virgen, Cerro Negro, Colonia Adolfo López Mateos, Cruz Llorada, Ejido Cañada Santa María, Ejido Ojo de Agua (El Vergelito), El Apartadero, El Boquerón, El Capulín 1, El Capulín 2, El Crucero, El Mogote, El Ojite, El Sabino, El Terrero (Venustiano Carranza), El Vergel, Guadalupe Hidalgo, Ignacio Manuel Altamirano, Joya Grande, Juan Escutia Cuquila, Kilómetro Doce, La Angostura, La Barranca del Tabaco, La Corona, La Cruz Verde, La Desviación (Tierra Colorada), La Lobera 1, La Lobera 2, La Peña Negra, La Providencia, La Purísima Concepción, La Séptima Poniente, La Unión, Las Huertas, Linda Vista 1, Linda Vista 2, Llano Castro, Llano de Guadalupe, Llano de Plaza, Llano del Guajolote (Los Sánchez), Loma Aplastado, Loma del Venado, Loma Saayii, Loma Snuviji, Los Ángeles, Los Blancos, Los Cortés, Mexicalcingo de los Granados, Mogote de San Cristóbal, Nuñuma, Nueva Reforma, Ojo de Agua 1, Ojo de Agua 2, Palo de Letra, Plan de Guadalupe, Ranchería Santos, Rancho Viejo, Rancho Viejo (Eskandaba), Rancho Yosondua, Río de Arena, Río de los Pinos, Río de Ocotepec (Yutecuiñi), Río Delgado, San Agustín Tlacotepec, San Bartolo, San Diego, San Felipe Tindaco, San Isidro, San Isidro Mirasol, San Juan de las Flores, San Miguel Progreso, San Pedro, San Pedro Llano Grande, San Pedro Yosotatu, San Sebastián, Santa Lucrecia, Santa María Cuquila, Santo Domingo Huendío, Snite, Tierra Azul, Tierra Blanca (San Nicolás), Tierra Colorada, Yosobee, Yosocahanu, Yososana, Yosostato, Yosostuvi, Yosotica, Yosotium, Yucahua, Yucuhillo, Yucutu, Yutendoo, and Yutenino Segunda Sección.

The municipality reported a population of 34,587 in the 2005 Census, of whom 9,399 spoke an indigenous language (predominantly Mixtecan and Triqui).

The land is essentially used for habitation and small-scale agriculture, which represents the main economic activity of the municipality's inhabitants.

External links

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