Mazunte is a small coastal town on the Pacific coast in Oaxaca, Mexico ( 15.66485 Â ° N 96.55388 Â ° W / 15.66485; -96.55388 ). Located 22 km southwest of San Pedro Pochutla on the coast of Highway 200. Mazunte is located about 10 km to west of Puerto Angel and only about 1 km from San Agustinillo and 264 km south of the capital Oaxaca. There are two etymologies for that name. Some sources state that "Mazunte" comes from the Nahuatl phrase, "maxotetia" which means "please store the eggs here." However, older residents of the community claim that it is derived from the word "mizontle," used by locals to refer to a species of crab that once was abundant in the area.
Mazunte is famous for its sea turtles. Before the mid-20th century, there was hardly any human population, but that changed when the market for turtle meat and eggs flourished. Due to the large number of turtles that came to Mazunte to spawn, in the 1970s, Mazunte was a hunting ground for turtles in Mexico, with its own slaughterhouse. Concern over the decline in the number of sea turtles eventually led to an absolute ban on turtle meat and eggs in Mexico, and deprived most families in Mazunte as their primary source of income. To replace it, ecotourism based on natural turtle conservation and cosmetics is developed. Mazunte's main attraction today is the National Turtle Center of Mexico and Cosmosà © ticos Naturales de Mazunte.
In 2012, Mazunte was heavily damaged by Hurricane Carlotta.
Video Mazunte
History
Until the mid-20th century, very few people lived in this area because it was isolated and inaccessible. Only about two or three family-owned homes that make a living by fishing and subsistence farming are here. The population began to increase with the formation of turtle hunting, which began near San Agustinillo. In the 1970s, a turtle slaughterhouse was built in Mazunte, making it a turtle exploitation center, and the town was almost totally dependent on the trade in turtle meat and eggs, later to be considered an aphrodisiac. Legally about 30,000 animals per year are massacred, but some environmentalists believe that illegal harvesting may be more than double.
The idea of ​​ecotourism based on turtles began in the 1970s when a company called Pesquera Industrial Oaxaca, became concerned about over-exploitation of sea turtles and proposed an industry based on the increase and release of tortoises and commercial monitoring capture. They set up a center that was taken over in 1985 by Institiuto Nacional de la Pesca, named after Daniel LeÃÆ'³n de Guevara. In 1971, Mexico banned the collection of eggs, but the ban was largely ignored.
In 1988, the number of nests here fell to 100,000 from the previous average of 900,000. After a moratorium on sea turtles, the number of nests quickly rose again.
The trade in turtle meat and eggs banned by the Mexican federal government in 1990 caused most families to lose their main source of income. Government and private organizations stepped in to provide an alternative. The federal government established Mexico's National Turtle Center (Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga) as a center of efforts to promote turtles as a base for tourism. The community is also assisted by environmental groups known as the Ecosolar in Mexico City and develops plans to educate about the environment, reforestation and ecotourism. At the end of 1993, these groups together with Accion Forestal Tropical planted some 6,000 trees and bungalows for guests made of traditional materials, such as palm and abobe leaves, were built. These bungalows were originally built adjacent to the family home, with the guests sharing family meals, and accompanying the fishermen to the sea.
In 1993, Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, was invited to visit Mazunte. Impressed with the efforts here, an agreement was reached to distribute the cosmetics made here with local ingredients. This effort also resulted in the creation of Cosmosà © ticos Naturales de Mazunte, a cooperative of fifteen families who produced and sold their own cosmetics line in 1996. Society has declared itself the "Reserva EconÃÆ'³mica EcolÃÆ'³gica Campesina" for having stopped hunt their turtles and eggs and try to preserve them. The number of turtle nests increased from 60,000 in 1988 to nearly 700,000 in 1995 and the number continues to increase.
In 1997, Mazunte was destroyed by Hurricanes Pauline and Rick, which caused widespread damage and economic destruction. Almost everything built here is ruined. To rebuild tourism, annual events such as the Equinox Spring Festival, The International Dance Festival and Jazz Encounter were established, which is the largest of its kind in Oaxaca.
Since the ban and economic changes, household income has increased by an average of 17%. Before many dwellings there was no water flow, electricity, school or health center, which is present. There is now universal flowing water, three schools and wider variety of food. Land prices rise and also rental rates.
Maps Mazunte
Community
Mazunte is a small village sandwiched between a kilometer-long beach and the Sierra Madre del Sur. Parallel to the beach is Avenida Paseo del Mazunte, the main road, which connects the village with others nearby. This area is mostly a fallen tree that drops the leaves in the dry season. About twenty different species can be found here as well as a number of cacti and mangroves. It's mostly still a rural village, with the morning filling up with the sound of rooster crowing. The village is somewhat larger than San Agustinillo, but the main difference is that its architecture is based on the use of natural materials. Mazunte has a building code that specifies that all constructs should be integrated with existing structures. People have strict rules about how, where and what to build in society. Part of the reason for this is to prevent land speculation and over-development.
Guido Rocco is simply called "Italian" or "architect" and is known and respected for building many eco-friendly cabins and other buildings here, which he calls "bio-architecture." These structures consist mostly of palm leaves, brick, bamboo, stone shells, coconut shells and wood, designed to blend with the landscape. He arrived at Mazunte in the late 1980s and has since stayed. He and his family first arrived in the 1970s as visitors when there was no way and Mazunte was only accessible by boat.
Other Italians have immigrated to Mazunte and other cities along this stretch of beach. Their presence is most easily seen in established Italian restaurants, some of which offer pizza cooked with wood-fired ovens. CosmÃÆ'Â © ticos Naturales de Mazunte is a community company dedicated to making high-quality make-up that is 100% environmentally friendly. It started a decade ago with the sponsors of the British company The Body Shop, and the Mexican federal government. These and other projects are also supported by non-governmental organizations such as the Canadian, French and British embassies as well as universities such as Stanford, the National Polytechnic Institute and the National Autonomous University of Mexico, which assist with industrial design, local product knowledge and cosmetic manufacturing. The cooperative produces shampoo, conditioner, bath gel, soap and other items and is a tourist attraction, with the front parking bus to inform the visitors how the cooperative works and shop. The cooperative has the slogan "el milagro de Mazunte" (the magic of Mazunte).
The Mazunte Jazz Festival starts in 2005 and is held annually. It is one of the largest in the state of Oaxaca. The 2009 Jazz Festival includes artists such as Kati MejÃÆ'A from the US, Samuel PiÃÆ'Â ± of the state of Tabasco, Adrian Oropeza Trio, Jazz Oaxaca Big Band, and Flamenco guitarist David Jenkins.
The annual Fiesta de Mazunte, held in January, includes events such as buoys, Miss Bikini contests and goldfish fishing contests.
Public transportation at Mazunte is based on pickup trucks that have been equipped to transport passengers and cargo. This "Camionetas" connects Mazunte with San Agustinillo, Zipolite, Puerto Angel, and nearby Pochutla town.
Beaches
Mazunte is a 1 kilometer (0.62 × mi) beach stretch with a secluded bay at the far western end. The ship on the beach offers tours to Zipolite, Puerto ÃÆ' ngel, Estacahuite, La Mina, and La Boquilla. Depending on the season, it is possible to see whales, dolphins, sea turtles, manta rays and other aquatic species. Fishing rentals for sports are also available. The main beach and bay at the west end both have a number of hotels and small restaurants. All beaches have a lifeguard during the tourist season. There are two other secluded and undeveloped beaches in the area, Playa Mermejita in Punta Cometa and Playa Escobilla on the west of the main beach.
All but one of the sea turtles came to the Mazunte area to spawn, as well as some species of turtle land and fresh water. The coastal town of Mazunte in the Pacific is famous for its sea turtles. Thousands of Olive Ridley turtles arrive en masse to lay their eggs near Escobilla Bay. The spawning season generally starts in May and lasts for several months. Despite endangered species, turtles come to the coast in large numbers for several nights after the full moon. This event is called arribadas. Other turtles laying here are Hawksbill turtles, "prieta" (subspecies of green turtles), and some leatherback turtles. In 1997, The Centro Mexicano de Tortuga counted the arrival of about 900,000 turtles to the coast of La Escobilla alone.
Volunteers from the Center monitor the nesting areas within and around Mazunte. When females come to shore at night, generally only after full moon, they are measured, marked and their eggs collected for incubation at the Center. This process ended with the release of children from the same beach they collected. On many of these occasions, communities can participate in the liberation of the hatchlings.
Mexico National Turtle Center
The idea of ​​promoting turtles as an ecotourism base began in the 1970s when turtle hunting at Mazunte and nearby coastal communities reached its peak. An organization to promote the idea was established at that time, which became a small center in 1985, operated by Instituto Nacional de la Pesca (National Fisheries Institute) and was named Daniel LeÃÆ'³n de Guevara.
Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga (National Turtle Center of Mexico) was established by the federal government in 1991 after sea turtle trade was strictly prohibited in the country. Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga is an aquarium and research center dedicated to turtles, especially sea turtles. The installation includes four hectares located in Mazunte right next to the beach, near the sea turtle slaughterhouses first. The center contains specimens of all native Mexican turtles as well as six freshwater species and two turtle species also found in the country. It contains tanks and other habitats where various species of turtles can be seen. The buildings on this site are designed to be similar to those around them, both traditional and modern. Outdoor tanks store species of turtles of various ages and include natural and artificial incubators for turtle eggs. The installation also contains a multipurpose room, a souvenir shop, and a cactus garden. The research objectives include developing techniques for managing, enhancing and conserving turtle species from the country as well as promoting ecological knowledge and tourism based on turtles. The facility receives 60,000 visitors per year.
Punta Cometa
The western tip of Mazunte beach is bordered by Punta Cometa (Comet Point), which is a small peninsula or mountain that juts out from the shoreline. Punta Cometa is also called Cerro Sagrado or "Holy Hill". This is the southernmost point of the state of Oaxaca and an important stop for migratory birds and sea mammals like the whales. There is also a small virgin beach called Mermejita on the west side.
In pre-Hispanic times this area was an army enclave of Aztecs, who built small walls around Punta Cometa, the remnants locally called "corral de piedra" or rocks. During the colonial period, the area was a fortress for Spanish troops and pirates who used the location of Punta Cometa to observe the oceans at 180 degrees of visibility. There are also stories about the Aztecs and/or pirate treasures hidden in Punta Cometa.
References
External links
- Capturing the Oaxaca Waves
- National Mexican Turtle Center
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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