San Juan Cotzocon
Encyclopedia
San Juan Cotzocon is a town and municipality
in Oaxaca
in south-western Mexico
.
It is part of the Sierra Mixe
district within the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca
Region.
The name "Cotzocón" or "Cozogón" means "Dark Mountain".
The territory is rugged, with grazing and cultivation of coffee and corn practiced only the lower irregular plains.
The Chiquito River runs through the northern part, a tributary of the Rio Grande.
The climate is warm and humid, with rain almost all year round.
The forested areas contain pine, cedar, and ceiba.
The main town is now María Lombardo de Caso, located at a height of 140 meters above sea level.
Although in a Mixe
area, many of the people in this town are Mazatec or Chinantec
who moved here after being displaced by the Miguel Alemán Dam
in the 1960s.
In the 1950s the remote municipality, accessible only via dirt track, drew visitors from the USA investigating use of hallucinogenic psilocybin mushroom
s in the traditional Mixe ceremonies.
Some of the Mixe women of the village of San Juan Cotzocon use back strap looms to weave traditional huipil
, rebosos, napkins, table cloths and other textile crafts.
The Union of Indigenous Communities of the Isthmus Region
, a cooperative founded in 1982, assists in production and distribution of the local products, notably coffee, under a fair trade
label.
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 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....
district within the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca
Sierra Norte de Oaxaca
La Sierra Norte de Oaxaca is a heavily-wooded region in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico.It is 62 km from the city of Oaxaca on Federal highway 175, heading east towards Tuxtepec....
Region.
The name "Cotzocón" or "Cozogón" means "Dark Mountain".
Environment
The municipality covers an area of 945.4 km².The territory is rugged, with grazing and cultivation of coffee and corn practiced only the lower irregular plains.
The Chiquito River runs through the northern part, a tributary of the Rio Grande.
The climate is warm and humid, with rain almost all year round.
The forested areas contain pine, cedar, and ceiba.
People
As of 2005, the municipality had 5,030 households with a total population of 22,478 of whom 10,712 spoke an indigenous language.The main town is now María Lombardo de Caso, located at a height of 140 meters above sea level.
Although in a Mixe
Mixe
The Mixe or Mije is an indigenous group inhabiting the eastern highlands of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. They speak the Mixe languages which are classified in the Mixe–Zoque family, and are more culturally conservative than other indigenous groups of the region, maintaining their language to this...
area, many of the people in this town are Mazatec or Chinantec
Chinantec
The Chinantecs are an indigenous people that live in Oaxaca and Veracruz, Mexico, especially in the districts of Cuicatlán, Ixtlán de Juárez, Tuxtepec and Choapan.The Chinantec languages belong to the Chinantecan branch of the Oto-Manguean family...
who moved here after being displaced by the Miguel Alemán Dam
Miguel Alemán Dam
The Miguel Alemán Dam is on the Tonto River in the Papaloapan Region of Oaxaca state in southern Mexico, just upstream from the town of Temascal or Nuevo Soyaltepec, forming the Miguel Alemán Lake with an area of 47,800 hectares....
in the 1960s.
In the 1950s the remote municipality, accessible only via dirt track, drew visitors from the USA investigating use of hallucinogenic psilocybin mushroom
Psilocybin mushroom
Psilocybin mushrooms are fungi that contain the psychoactive compounds psilocybin and psilocin. There are multiple colloquial terms for psilocybin mushrooms, the most common being shrooms or magic mushrooms....
s in the traditional Mixe ceremonies.
Economy
The main economic activity is coffee cultivation, followed by livestock raising.Some of the Mixe women of the village of San Juan Cotzocon use back strap looms to weave traditional huipil
Huipíl
A huipil is a form of Maya textile and tunic or blouse worn by indigenous Mayan, Zapotec, and other women in central to southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and western Honduras, in the northern part of Central America. Some are also worn by men, particularly in Guatemala...
, rebosos, napkins, table cloths and other textile crafts.
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 a 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...
label.