Guevea de Humboldt
Encyclopedia
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
.
A painting on cotton cloth from 1540 depicts the town and its neighbor Santo Domingo Petapa
.
The picture records the history of the people from the time of their migration from Zaachila
up to the Spanish conquest, and was designed to establish ancient property rights.
The painting records that the town's first Spanish ruler was one Pedro Santiago. The town was called Guevea Santiago until 1936, when the state government changed the name to Guevea Humboldt, naming it after the botanist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt
who spent some time in the town.
The town lies at an elevation of 620 meters above sea level. The region is mountainous, on the height of land between the north and south watersheds of the Sierra Mixe
.
The climate is warm, with most rainfall in the summer.
Vegetation includes pine, oak, mahogany, ceiba, cedar and tropical fruit species.
Wild fauna include as jaguar, tapir, deer Mazatec, tepeizcuinte, toucan, mockingbird and rattlesnake.
It is accessible via a a dirt road that connects it with Santa María Guienagati
.
Economic activities include cultivation of coffee, sugar cane, rice and coconuts, as well as corn, beans and fruits on a smaller scale.
Some people raise cattle, pigs, goats and poultry and practice hunting and fishing for local consumption.
Some logging extracts fine woods from the forests for furniture manufacturing.
In 1982 the farmers of Guevea de Humboldt and Santa Maria Guienagati
, 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 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:...
, which is 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....
.
History
The name Guevea comes from the variant of the Zapotec language of the local people, and means "flower of muddy water or lily of the river".A painting on cotton cloth from 1540 depicts the town and its neighbor Santo Domingo Petapa
Santo Domingo Petapa
Santo Domingo Petapa is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 232.2 km², at an average altitude of 250 meters above sea level, and is part of the Juchitán District of the Istmo de Tehuantepec region....
.
The picture records the history of the people from the time of their migration 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...
up to the Spanish conquest, and was designed to establish ancient property rights.
The painting records that the town's first Spanish ruler was one Pedro Santiago. The town was called Guevea Santiago until 1936, when the state government changed the name to Guevea Humboldt, naming it after the botanist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt...
who spent some time in the town.
Environment
The municipality covers an area of 515.43 km².The town lies at an elevation of 620 meters above sea level. The region is mountainous, on the height of land between the north and south watersheds of 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....
.
The climate is warm, with most rainfall in the summer.
Vegetation includes pine, oak, mahogany, ceiba, cedar and tropical fruit species.
Wild fauna include as jaguar, tapir, deer Mazatec, tepeizcuinte, toucan, mockingbird and rattlesnake.
Economy
As of 2005, the municipality had 1,265 households with a total population of 5,283 of whom of 2,475 spoke an indigenous language.It is accessible via a a dirt road that connects it with Santa María Guienagati
Santa María Guienagati
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....
.
Economic activities include cultivation of coffee, sugar cane, rice and coconuts, as well as corn, beans and fruits on a smaller scale.
Some people raise cattle, pigs, goats and poultry and practice hunting and fishing for local consumption.
Some logging extracts fine woods from the forests for furniture manufacturing.
In 1982 the farmers of Guevea de Humboldt and Santa Maria Guienagati
Santa María Guienagati
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....
, 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.