Sierra Juárez, Oaxaca
Encyclopedia
The Sierra Juárez is a range of mountains in Oaxaca
state, Mexico
between latitudes 17°20'-17°50'N and longitudes 96°15'-97°00'W, with an area of about 1,700 km².
It is part of the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca
.
The range is separated from the Sierra de Zongólica
to the north by the Santo Domingo River
, flowing through the Tecomavaca Canyon. It stretches south-eastward to the Cajones River
and the Sierra de Villa Alta
.
The mountains are in the district of Ixtlán de Juárez
in the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca
region.
The range is named after Mexico's only indigenous president, Benito Juárez
, who was born here in 1806 in the small village of San Pablo Guelatao
.
The heavily-wooded area is about 62 km from the city of Oaxaca
on Federal highway 175, heading towards Tuxtepec.
, with the majority being Mesozoic
.
The climate is subtropical in the lower regions and temperate and subhumid above 1000m, with average temperature from 16°-20°C. There is regular frost in the higher mountains.
Annual rainfall, fed by the trade winds from the Caribbean sea
, ranges from 700mm to 4000mm or more.
The Valle Nacional River
originates in the Sierra de Juárez, one of the major tributaries of the Papaloapan River
.
It is mostly covered by montane cloud forest
, but includes tropical evergreen forests and forests of pine, pine-oak and oak.
The cloud forest forms a band from 1,000-1,400 meters in height up to 2,250 meters along the northern and eastern slopes.
The climate is cool (14°-20°C) and has mean annual rainfall that exceeds 2,000mm and is sometimes much higher.
The dominant trees are 20–30 m tall and include evergreen and deciduous species, palms, tree ferns, heather
shrubs, vines, and moisture-loving herbs.
The tropical evergreen forest is dominated by evergreen trees 30-40m tall, with abundant lianas and tropical epiphytes.
Pine and pine-oak forests, at a height from 1600-2800m have evergreen trees 25-40m tall, with grasses dominating the lower stratum.
Oak forests at a height from 2000-2500m grow in areas with relatively lower rainfall that have a dry season in summer. The oak forests are found in the western, inland part of the sierra to the Rio Grande Basin.
The Zapotecs of the Sierra Norte, who call themselves the bene xon, are one of three major Zapotec regions in southern Mexico. The other three reside in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
, the Valles Centrales
region and the Sierra Madre Oriental
. The bene xon divide into four sub-cultures: Cajonos, El Rincón, Ixtlán and Choapan.
Other indigenous people include the Chinantec
, Mixe
and Mixtec
.
It is under stress from logging, agriculture, grazing and colonization, and is potentially threatened by hydroelectric dams.
There is no official plan to establish nature reserves.
However, the region promotes ecotourism to help preserve the biosphere with various enterprises offering cabins, camping, access and guides for hiking and mountain-biking trails, horseback riding, bird-watching, and cave exploration.
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...
state, 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...
between latitudes 17°20'-17°50'N and longitudes 96°15'-97°00'W, with an area of about 1,700 km².
It is part of the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca
Sierra Madre de Oaxaca
The Sierra Madre de Oaxaca is a mountain range in southern Mexico. It begins at Pico de Orizaba and extends in a southeasterly direction for 300 km until reaching the Isthmus of Tehuantepec...
.
The range is separated from the Sierra de Zongólica
Zongolica
Zongolica is a municipality located in the south zone in the State of Veracruz, about 100 km from state capital Xalapa. It has a surface of 63.34 km2. It is located at...
to the north by the Santo Domingo River
Santo Domingo River (Oaxaca)
The Santo Domingo River in Oaxaca state, Mexico is one of the main tributaries of the Papaloapan River, rising in the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca and flowing east towards San Juan Bautista Tuxtepec, above which it joins with the Valle Nacional River to form the Papaloapan.Carrying sediment from the...
, flowing through the Tecomavaca Canyon. It stretches south-eastward to the Cajones River
Cajones River
The Cajones River in the Ayotzintepec municipality divides the Sierra Juárez, Oaxaca from the Sierra Sierra de Villa Alta in Oaxaca state, Mexico.It joins the Manso River to form the Tesechoacan River, a tributary of the Papaloapan River....
and the Sierra de Villa Alta
San Ildefonso Villa Alta
San Ildefonso Villa Alta is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 136.52 km².It is part of the Villa Alta District in the center of the Sierra Norte Region....
.
The mountains are in the district of Ixtlán de Juárez
Ixtlán de Juárez
Ixtlán de Juárez is a town and municipality in the Mexican state of Oaxaca about 65 km north of the city of Oaxaca on Federal Highway 175 towards Veracruz.It is part of the Ixtlán District in the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca region.-Municipality of Ixtlán:...
in 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 range is named after Mexico's only indigenous president, Benito Juárez
Benito Juárez
Benito Juárez born Benito Pablo Juárez García, was a Mexican lawyer and politician of Zapotec origin from Oaxaca who served five terms as president of Mexico: 1858–1861 as interim, 1861–1865, 1865–1867, 1867–1871 and 1871–1872...
, who was born here in 1806 in the small village of San Pablo Guelatao
San Pablo Guelatao
San Pablo Guelatao is a town in the Mexican state of Oaxaca and the seat of the municipality of Guelatao de Juárez, about 55 km north of the city of Oaxaca...
.
The heavily-wooded area is about 62 km from the city of Oaxaca
Oaxaca, Oaxaca
The city and municipality of Oaxaca de Juárez, or simply Oaxaca, is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of the same name . It is located in the Centro District in the Central Valleys region of the state, in the foothills of the Sierra Madre at the base of the Cerro del Fortín...
on Federal highway 175, heading towards Tuxtepec.
Terrain and climate
The mountains climb from 500m to 3,250m, with many large and deep ravines. They are formed of folded sedimentary rocks with series of younger granitic intrusions that date from the Palaeozoic to CenozoicCenozoic
The Cenozoic era is the current and most recent of the three Phanerozoic geological eras and covers the period from 65.5 mya to the present. The era began in the wake of the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous that saw the demise of the last non-avian dinosaurs and...
, with the majority being Mesozoic
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic era is an interval of geological time from about 250 million years ago to about 65 million years ago. It is often referred to as the age of reptiles because reptiles, namely dinosaurs, were the dominant terrestrial and marine vertebrates of the time...
.
The climate is subtropical in the lower regions and temperate and subhumid above 1000m, with average temperature from 16°-20°C. There is regular frost in the higher mountains.
Annual rainfall, fed by the trade winds from the Caribbean sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
, ranges from 700mm to 4000mm or more.
The Valle Nacional River
Valle Nacional River
The Valle Nacional River is a river of Oaxaca state in Mexico.The river originates in the Sierra Juárez, Oaxaca.The ecology of the region, originally one of pine forests, is threatened by logging, agriculture and grazing....
originates in the Sierra de Juárez, one of the major tributaries of the Papaloapan River
Papaloapan River
The Papaloapan River is one of the main rivers of the Mexican state of Veracruz. Its name is derived from the Nahuatl papalotl and apan ....
.
Vegetation
The Sierra de Juárez is one of Oaxaca State's wettest areas and richest in forest diversity, with perhaps 2000 of the 8000 or more plant species that are found in the state.It is mostly covered by montane cloud forest
Cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and...
, but includes tropical evergreen forests and forests of pine, pine-oak and oak.
The cloud forest forms a band from 1,000-1,400 meters in height up to 2,250 meters along the northern and eastern slopes.
The climate is cool (14°-20°C) and has mean annual rainfall that exceeds 2,000mm and is sometimes much higher.
The dominant trees are 20–30 m tall and include evergreen and deciduous species, palms, tree ferns, heather
Ericaceae
The Ericaceae, commonly known as the heath or heather family, is a group of mostly calcifuge flowering plants. The family is large, with roughly 4000 species spread across 126 genera, making it the 14th most speciose family of flowering plants...
shrubs, vines, and moisture-loving herbs.
The tropical evergreen forest is dominated by evergreen trees 30-40m tall, with abundant lianas and tropical epiphytes.
Pine and pine-oak forests, at a height from 1600-2800m have evergreen trees 25-40m tall, with grasses dominating the lower stratum.
Oak forests at a height from 2000-2500m grow in areas with relatively lower rainfall that have a dry season in summer. The oak forests are found in the western, inland part of the sierra to the Rio Grande Basin.
People
The Sierra Juárez is the land of the Sierra Zapotecs, of whom President Benito Juárez was one of the most famous.The Zapotecs of the Sierra Norte, who call themselves the bene xon, are one of three major Zapotec regions in southern Mexico. The other three reside in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
Isthmus of Tehuantepec
The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is an isthmus in Mexico. It represents the shortest distance between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, and prior to the opening of the Panama Canal was a major shipping route known simply as the Tehuantepec Route...
, the Valles Centrales
Valles Centrales de Oaxaca
The Valles Centrales is a region in the heart of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico.It includes the districts of Etla, Centro, Zaachila, Zimatlán, Ocotlán, Tlacolula and Ejutla...
region and the Sierra Madre Oriental
Sierra Madre Oriental
The Sierra Madre Oriental is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico.-Setting:Spanning the Sierra Madre Oriental runs from Coahuila south through Nuevo León, southwest Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, and Hidalgo to northern Puebla, where it joins with the east-west running Eje Volcánico...
. The bene xon divide into four sub-cultures: Cajonos, El Rincón, Ixtlán and Choapan.
Other indigenous people include the 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...
, 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...
and Mixtec
Mixtec
The Mixtec are indigenous Mesoamerican peoples inhabiting the Mexican states of Oaxaca, Guerrero and Puebla in a region known as La Mixteca. The Mixtecan languages form an important branch of the Otomanguean language family....
.
Environmental concerns
The sierra is home to threatened mammals such as jaguar, ocelot and brocket deer. It is also a habitat for the threatened dwarf jay (Cyanloyca nana), and is the richest region in Mexico for butterflies.It is under stress from logging, agriculture, grazing and colonization, and is potentially threatened by hydroelectric dams.
There is no official plan to establish nature reserves.
However, the region promotes ecotourism to help preserve the biosphere with various enterprises offering cabins, camping, access and guides for hiking and mountain-biking trails, horseback riding, bird-watching, and cave exploration.