La Ventanilla, Oaxaca
Encyclopedia
La Ventanilla is a small village on a beach and lagoon in the municipality
of Santa María Tonameca
, Oaxaca
, Mexico. It is best known as an ecotourism
center based on its natural resources. It is located on the Costa Chica section of Oaxaca, just west of Mazunte
. The La Ventanilla area consists of a long, unbroken stretch of undeveloped beach and a lagoon wedged between the Pacific Ocean and the Sierra Madre del Sur
. In the 1990s, the area was nothing more than a coconut plantation with three families living there, and did not have electricity until 1999. Today, the area is home to about twenty five Zapotec families who are dedicated to preserving the ecology of both the beach and the lagoon and live in a small village located on the far east end of the beach.
) and the white mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa
). Tannins from the roots of the red mangrove turn the lagoon’s water reddish in the shallows and black in deeper areas. In the mornings, the lagoon fills with the sounds of the many birds that can be found here, including woodpecker
s, kingfisher
s, ducks, storks cormorant
s, heron
s and others. The area also has crustaceans, turtles, deer, and iguana
s, but what attracts the tourists are the crocodiles. During the rainy season the lagoon meets the sea and prompts sea life such as sea turtles, dolphins and fish to enter to feed on the crustaceans. There is also another mangrove area nearby on the Copalita River. Also nearby is the Rancho El Potrero, where iguanas are hatched and raised.
The lagoon areas as they appear today are in recovery from Hurricanes Pauline
and Rick
in 1997. The main lagoon was surrounded by tall trees up to thirty five meters in height and filled with mature mangroves. The trees were all destroyed as well as almost all the mangroves, with nothing but red mangrove trunks sticking out of the water. Initial clean up of the area took residents three weeks and the decision was made to help the zone recover faster by replanting trees and mangroves. Over 30,000 mangroves have been replanted, mostly of the red and white varieties as well as ferns, royal palms, mahogany, parota, ceiba
and other plants. The replanting was done principally with seeds collected from the remaining healthy plants and nurtured in greenhouses. When plants where large enough, they were transferred to the lagoon area. Since then, both flora and fauna have recovered significantly.
Due to conservation efforts, the village does not allow motorized vehicles on the beach or within 100 yards of the lagoon sanctuary.
and other ecological projects. Most of the village’s families are involved in this venture and they have a website at www.bioplaneta.com. Tours of the lagoon are available on both land and canoe to see the mangroves, and the wildlife, especially the birds, iguanas and crocodiles in their natural habitat. On Uma Island, in the lagoon, there is a greenhouse for mangrove reforestation, a nursery to hatch and raise crocodiles for release, as well as captive deer, and other animals. This group is headquartered at a palapa within the village and there is also a small restaurant on the lagoon island.
There is another tour cooperative that operates in the lagoon area, which provides a shorter walking tour that does not include the island, nor does its profits help support conservation efforts.
Other activities that are available include horseback riding on the beach. Further west along the beach is another mangrove area, to which locals can guide for a small fee. Spending a day on the beach and even swimming in the rough surf is possible but there are no typical tourist hotels or lifeguards here. There are camping and bathing facilities and cabins (some even with air conditioning). In addition to the island food stand, there is a restaurant in the village with a view of the beach called Restaurant Maiz Azul (Blue Corn), which specialized in local recipes, including Oaxaca style tamales, turkey in mole sause and chiles rellenos. They also sell their own fresh-ground peanut butter
. At night during times when the sea turtles lay their eggs, visitors can accompany volunteers as they collect eggs and can participate in the release of baby turtles.
Municipalities of Mexico
Municipalities are the second-level administrative division in Mexico . There are 2,438 municipalities in Mexico, making the average municipality population 45,616...
of Santa María Tonameca
Santa María Tonameca
Santa María Tonameca is a town and municipality located on the southern coast of Oaxaca, Mexico, about 268 km from the capital city of Oaxaca.It is part of the Pochutla District in the east of the Costa Region....
, 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...
, Mexico. It is best known as 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 based on its natural resources. It is located on the Costa Chica section of Oaxaca, just west of Mazunte
Mazunte
Mazunte is a small beach town on the Pacific coast in Oaxaca, Mexico. Mazunte is located 22 km southeast of San Pedro Pochutla on coastal Highway 200. Mazunte is located some 10 km to the west of Puerto Angel and just about 1 km from San Agustinillo and 264 km south of the...
. The La Ventanilla area consists of a long, unbroken stretch of undeveloped beach and a lagoon wedged between the Pacific Ocean and the Sierra Madre del Sur
Sierra Madre del Sur
The Sierra Madre del Sur is a mountain range in southern Mexico, extending from southern Michoacán east through Guerrero, to the Istmo de Tehuantepec in eastern Oaxaca.-Geography:...
. In the 1990s, the area was nothing more than a coconut plantation with three families living there, and did not have electricity until 1999. Today, the area is home to about twenty five Zapotec families who are dedicated to preserving the ecology of both the beach and the lagoon and live in a small village located on the far east end of the beach.
The beach
The far east end of the beach is the location of a high rocky peak, which has a small opening that gives the area its name of “little window” or ventanilla. The beach here has fine white sand and warm clear blue waters. This beach continues west unbroken almost all the way to Puerto Escondido. During certain times of the year, hundreds of sea turtles come ashore to lay eggs here. The community volunteers to protect these turtles, even helping tired ones climb up the steep sections of the beach. After the eggs are laid and the turtles return to sea, volunteers gather the eggs to rebury them in a safe spot which is monitored. About three months later, the baby turtles are released back into the ocean.The lagoons
The main attraction, which is unique to this part of the Costa Chica is the lagoon, which is the estuary of the Tonameca River. The lagoon is cut off from the sea by the beach much of the year and is full of mangroves as well as a wide variety of wildlife. The two principle mangrove types here are the red mangrove (Rhizophora mangleRhizophora mangle
Rhizophora mangle, known as the red mangrove, is distributed in estuarine ecosystems throughout the tropics. Its viviparous "seeds," in actuality called propagules, become fully mature plants before dropping off the parent tree...
) and the white mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa
Laguncularia racemosa
Laguncularia racemosa is a species of flowering plant in the leadwood tree family, Combretaceae...
). Tannins from the roots of the red mangrove turn the lagoon’s water reddish in the shallows and black in deeper areas. In the mornings, the lagoon fills with the sounds of the many birds that can be found here, including woodpecker
Woodpecker
Woodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....
s, kingfisher
Kingfisher
Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...
s, ducks, storks cormorant
Cormorant
The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
s, heron
Heron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
s and others. The area also has crustaceans, turtles, deer, and iguana
Iguana
Iguana is a herbivorous genus of lizard native to tropical areas of Central America and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his book Specimen Medicum, Exhibens Synopsin Reptilium Emendatam cum Experimentis circa Venena...
s, but what attracts the tourists are the crocodiles. During the rainy season the lagoon meets the sea and prompts sea life such as sea turtles, dolphins and fish to enter to feed on the crustaceans. There is also another mangrove area nearby on the Copalita River. Also nearby is the Rancho El Potrero, where iguanas are hatched and raised.
The lagoon areas as they appear today are in recovery from Hurricanes Pauline
Hurricane Pauline
Hurricane Pauline was one of the strongest and deadliest Pacific hurricanes to make landfall on Mexico. The sixteenth tropical storm, eighth hurricane, and seventh major hurricane of the 1997 Pacific hurricane season, Pauline developed out of a tropical wave on October 5 about 250 miles ...
and Rick
Hurricane Rick (1997)
Hurricane Rick was the last hurricane in the 1997 Pacific hurricane season, the last named storm to form in the eastern Pacific, the second-last named storm of the season, and the second latest hurricane ever to make landfall in Mexico. Rick was a short-lived Category 2 hurricane on the...
in 1997. The main lagoon was surrounded by tall trees up to thirty five meters in height and filled with mature mangroves. The trees were all destroyed as well as almost all the mangroves, with nothing but red mangrove trunks sticking out of the water. Initial clean up of the area took residents three weeks and the decision was made to help the zone recover faster by replanting trees and mangroves. Over 30,000 mangroves have been replanted, mostly of the red and white varieties as well as ferns, royal palms, mahogany, parota, ceiba
Ceiba
Ceiba is the name of a genus of many species of large trees found in tropical areas, including Mexico, Central America, South America, The Bahamas, Belize and the Caribbean, West Africa, and Southeast Asia...
and other plants. The replanting was done principally with seeds collected from the remaining healthy plants and nurtured in greenhouses. When plants where large enough, they were transferred to the lagoon area. Since then, both flora and fauna have recovered significantly.
Due to conservation efforts, the village does not allow motorized vehicles on the beach or within 100 yards of the lagoon sanctuary.
Ecotourism
Much of the ecotourism was developed here in the 1990s when groups such as Ecosolar worked in this area to help after the ban on the sea turtle and crocodile trade eliminated most people’s livelihoods. This group, along with ten local families began working to offer tours in the lagoon and beach areas, inviting biologists and biology students in Mexico to study the area. This ecotourism revolves around the lagoon of the Tonameca River and the main local cooperative that conducts tours is called Servicio Ecoturisticos de La Ventanilla (La Ventanilla Ecotourism Services). This group has conducted guided tours of the lagoon since the 1990s and income from these tours supports reforestationReforestation
Reforestation is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands that have been depleted, usually through deforestation....
and other ecological projects. Most of the village’s families are involved in this venture and they have a website at www.bioplaneta.com. Tours of the lagoon are available on both land and canoe to see the mangroves, and the wildlife, especially the birds, iguanas and crocodiles in their natural habitat. On Uma Island, in the lagoon, there is a greenhouse for mangrove reforestation, a nursery to hatch and raise crocodiles for release, as well as captive deer, and other animals. This group is headquartered at a palapa within the village and there is also a small restaurant on the lagoon island.
There is another tour cooperative that operates in the lagoon area, which provides a shorter walking tour that does not include the island, nor does its profits help support conservation efforts.
Other activities that are available include horseback riding on the beach. Further west along the beach is another mangrove area, to which locals can guide for a small fee. Spending a day on the beach and even swimming in the rough surf is possible but there are no typical tourist hotels or lifeguards here. There are camping and bathing facilities and cabins (some even with air conditioning). In addition to the island food stand, there is a restaurant in the village with a view of the beach called Restaurant Maiz Azul (Blue Corn), which specialized in local recipes, including Oaxaca style tamales, turkey in mole sause and chiles rellenos. They also sell their own fresh-ground peanut butter
Peanut butter
Peanut butter is a food paste made primarily from ground dry roasted peanuts, popular in North America, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and parts of Asia, particularly the Philippines and Indonesia. It is mainly used as a sandwich spread, sometimes in combination as in the peanut butter and jelly...
. At night during times when the sea turtles lay their eggs, visitors can accompany volunteers as they collect eggs and can participate in the release of baby turtles.
External links
- Ventanilla, Oaxaca (Spanish) http://playasmexico.com.mx/playa_mexico_ficha.php?id_rubrique=574