San Miguel Panixtlahuaca
Encyclopedia
San Miguel Panixtlahuaca is a town and municipality
in Oaxaca
in south-western Mexico
.
It is part of the Juquila District
in the center of the Costa Region
.
The name "Panixtlahuatl" in the Nahuatl
language means "Plain of the Bridge".
The climate is warm or temperate, with average temperatures between 22-16°C.
The terrain is hilly, in the foothills of the Sierra Madre del Sur
.
There is a wide range of flowers, edible and medicinal plants and trees.
Birds include red-billed pigeon, quail, macaw, parrot, chachalaca, parakeet, magpies, woodpeckers, eagles, crows, buzzards, owls, doves, canaries, vultures, partridges, herons and roadrunners.
Wild Animals include cat, coyotes, wild boar, badgers, leopard, martens, foxes, raccoons, bobcat, porcupines, skunks, weasels, dogs, bear, anteaters, opossums, gophers and squirrels.
There are coral snakes, green and black iguanas, scorpions, rattlesnakes, boa constrictors, milk snakes, thread snakes and chameleons.
Panixtlahuaca is one of the centers of the Chatino
people, related to the Zapotec but with a distinct language.
Agriculture includes the coffee crop, which is exported, and rainfed maize and beans for personal consumption or for the domestic market.
10% of the population is engaged in animal husbandry.
In September 2005 the local people were resisting pressure from state authorities to grant licenses for forestry and for sand and gravel extraction. In turn, the authorities accused the villagers of harboring armed rebel gangs and attempted to annul the elections of local officials.
Further clashes with the authorities continued to occur in 2006, described as a period of terror by the local people.
In April 2009, 15 trucks filled with armed federal troops surrounded the village of San Miguel Panixtlahuaca and erected road blocks to prevent anyone from entering or leaving, then combed the houses in search of weapons.
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 Juquila District
Juquila District, Oaxaca
Juquila District is located in the center of the Costa Region of the State of Oaxaca, Mexico, on the Pacific coast.It has an area of 5,055 km2.As of 2005 it had a total population of 134,365 of whom 33,106 spoke an indigenous language....
in the center of the Costa Region
Costa Region, Oaxaca
The Costa Region or Costa Chica lies on the Pacific coast of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, below the more mountainous Sierra Sur inland from the coast...
.
The name "Panixtlahuatl" in the 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...
language means "Plain of the Bridge".
Environment
The municipality covers an area of 264.1 km² at an altitude of 770 meters above sea level.The climate is warm or temperate, with average temperatures between 22-16°C.
The terrain is hilly, in the foothills of 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:...
.
There is a wide range of flowers, edible and medicinal plants and trees.
Birds include red-billed pigeon, quail, macaw, parrot, chachalaca, parakeet, magpies, woodpeckers, eagles, crows, buzzards, owls, doves, canaries, vultures, partridges, herons and roadrunners.
Wild Animals include cat, coyotes, wild boar, badgers, leopard, martens, foxes, raccoons, bobcat, porcupines, skunks, weasels, dogs, bear, anteaters, opossums, gophers and squirrels.
There are coral snakes, green and black iguanas, scorpions, rattlesnakes, boa constrictors, milk snakes, thread snakes and chameleons.
People
As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 5724 of whom 4,903 spoke an indigenous language.Panixtlahuaca is one of the centers of the Chatino
Chatino
Chatino is the Spanish name of an indigenous people of southern central Mexico, and also of their language, the Chatino language. Chatino communities are located in the southeastern region of the state of Oaxaca. Speakers of Chatino are numbered around 23,000 , but ethnic Chatinos may number many...
people, related to the Zapotec but with a distinct language.
Agriculture includes the coffee crop, which is exported, and rainfed maize and beans for personal consumption or for the domestic market.
10% of the population is engaged in animal husbandry.
In September 2005 the local people were resisting pressure from state authorities to grant licenses for forestry and for sand and gravel extraction. In turn, the authorities accused the villagers of harboring armed rebel gangs and attempted to annul the elections of local officials.
Further clashes with the authorities continued to occur in 2006, described as a period of terror by the local people.
In April 2009, 15 trucks filled with armed federal troops surrounded the village of San Miguel Panixtlahuaca and erected road blocks to prevent anyone from entering or leaving, then combed the houses in search of weapons.