San Mateo Río Hondo is the name of a town and municipality

Municipality

A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

 in the 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...

, 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 Miahuatlán District

Miahuatlán District, Oaxaca

Miahuatlán District is located in the south of the Sierra Sur Region of the State of Oaxaca, Mexico.-Municipalities:The district includes the following municipalities:*Miahuatlán de Porfirio Díaz*Monjas*San Andrés Paxtlan*San Cristobal Amatlán...

 in the south of the Sierra Sur Region

Sierra Sur de Oaxaca

Sierra Sur is a region in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. It includes the districts of Putla, Sola de Vega, Miahuatlán and Yautepec. Miahuatlán is the largest city.The region has 70 municipalities, some very poor, such as Zanizá, Amoltepec and Los Loxichas....

.It is 2,300 meters above sea level. Known in the colonial era

Colonialism

Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...

 as "Tetequipa" in 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...

 and "Yegoyoxi" in Zapotec

Zapotec language

The Zapotec language are a group of closely related indigenous Mesoamerican languages spoken by the Zapotec people from the southwestern-central highlands of Mexico. Present-day native speakers are estimated to number over half a million, with the majority inhabiting the state of Oaxaca....

, both names meaning "river of sand." As municipal seat San Mateo Río Hondo has governing jurisdiction over the following communities: Barranca Grande, El Campanario, El Cuachepil, El Encino, El Esfuerzo, El Manzanal, El Naranjal, El Progreso, El Tavel, Falda de Portillo, Horno de Cal, Jalatengo, La Concepción, La Doncella, La Floreña, La Victoria, Las Nubes, Las Tinas, Loma San Marcial, Miramar, Piedra Gentil, Pinabete (Llano de Pinabete), Ranchería Yogoló (Piedra Manchada), Rancho Cañas, Rancho Cerezales, Rancho Madroño (Rancho el Capulín), Rancho Nuevo, Río Cuapinol, Río Grande, Río Molino, Río Pacífico, San Antonio, San Felipe (Manzanillo), San Ildefonso Ozolotepec, San José del Pacífico, San Melchor, San Pablo, Tres Cruces, Yogoló, and Zapotitlán. San Mateo Rio Hondo is divided into three areas: Nochixtlán district,Mixtecan region and San Mateo Sindihui. The municipality has three hills: La Postura,Zaniltepec and Cerro León. The weather is mostly cold and wet. The population is 3,495. The surface area is 81.96 km².