Sierra Madre de Oaxaca
Encyclopedia
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
. Peaks in the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca average 2,500 m in elevation, with some peaks exceeding 3,000 m.
The eastern slopes of the range are wetter, intercepting moisture-laden winds from the Gulf of Mexico
. A number of drier valleys lie to the west, in the rain shadow of the range. The Sierra Madre de Oaxaca pine-oak forests
lie above 1600 m elevation. The humid Oaxacan montane forests lie below 1600 meters elevation on the eastern slopes, above the Veracruz lowlands. To the east, the xeric
Tehuacan Valley matorral
occupies the Tehuacan valley to the northwest, the Jalisco dry forests occupy the upper basin of the Santo Domingo River
, which lies in the rain shadow of the Sierra, and the Southern Pacific dry forests lie to the south along the Pacific coast, extending into the upper basin of the Tehuantepec River
and the Valley of Oaxaca
.
Culturally and geographically, the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca can be split into many smaller sierras, each with unique environments and human inhabitants. In the northwest of Oaxaca State lies the Sierra Mazateca
, whose elevation scarcely exceeds 2,600 meters. Homeland of the Mazatec people, it contains the important towns Huautla de Jiménez, Eloxchitlán de Flores Magón, and Jalapa de Díaz. Its most unique peak, albeit not its highest, is Cerro Rabon, the whale shaped Holy Mountain of the Mazatecs. South of the Sierra Mazateca lies the Sierra de Cuicatlan, a range which divides the low canyon lands of Cuicatlan from the Sierra Juarez to the west and is home to the Cuicatec
people. The Sierra Juárez
is the land of the Sierra Zapotecs and birthplace of Mexico's only indigenous president, Benito Juárez
. The main towns of the Sierra Juarez are Ixtlan de Juárez
, San Ildefonso Villa Alta, and Villa Hidalgo Yalalag. North of the Sierra Juárez lies the Sierra Chinanteca, home to Chinantec
towns such as Santiago Comaltepec, San Pedro Yolóx And San Felipe Usila. Finally to the east, as the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca descends towards the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
, lies the Sierra Mixe
, home to the Mixe people, descendants of the Ancient Olmecs of Mexico's Gulf Coast. The major Mixe centers are San Pablo & San Pedro Ayutla, Santiago Zacatepec, and Santa María Totontepec, and the major peak of the area is Zempoateptl, the sacred mountain of the Mixe people.
Pico de Orizaba
The Pico de Orizaba, or Citlaltépetl , is a stratovolcano, the highest mountain in Mexico and the third highest in North America. It rises above sea level in the eastern end of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, on the border between the states of Veracruz and Puebla...
and extends in a southeasterly direction for 300 km until reaching 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...
. Peaks in the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca average 2,500 m in elevation, with some peaks exceeding 3,000 m.
The eastern slopes of the range are wetter, intercepting moisture-laden winds from the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. A number of drier valleys lie to the west, in the rain shadow of the range. The Sierra Madre de Oaxaca pine-oak forests
Sierra Madre de Oaxaca pine-oak forests
The Sierra Madre de Oaxaca pine-oak forests is an ecoregion of southern Mexico, in the Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests biome. It occupies the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca, which lies mostly within the state of Oaxaca, extending north into Puebla and Veracruz states...
lie above 1600 m elevation. The humid Oaxacan montane forests lie below 1600 meters elevation on the eastern slopes, above the Veracruz lowlands. To the east, the xeric
Deserts and xeric shrublands
Deserts and xeric shrublands is a biome characterized by, relating to, or requiring only a small amount of moisture.-Definition and occurrence:...
Tehuacan Valley matorral
Tehuacán Valley matorral
The Tehuacán Valley matorral is a xeric shrubland ecoregion, within the deserts and xeric shrublands biome, in central Mexico.-Setting:The ecoregion occupies the Tehuacán and Cuicatlán valleys, covering parts of Puebla and Oaxaca states. The valleys lie in the rain shadow of the surrounding...
occupies the Tehuacan valley to the northwest, the Jalisco dry forests occupy the upper basin of 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...
, which lies in the rain shadow of the Sierra, and the Southern Pacific dry forests lie to the south along the Pacific coast, extending into the upper basin of the Tehuantepec River
Tehuantepec River
-References:* Atlas of Mexico, 1975 .* The Prentice Hall American World Atlas, 1984.* Rand McNally, The New International Atlas, 1993....
and the Valley of Oaxaca
Valley of Oaxaca
The Valley of Oaxaca is a geographic region located within the modern day State of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. The valley, which is located within the Sierra Madre Mountains, is shaped like a distorted and almost upside-down “Y,” with each of its arms bearing specific names: the northwestern Etla...
.
People and towns
Sierra Mazateca
The Sierra Mazateca is a mountaineous area, part of the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca, located in the northern part of the state of Oaxaca in Southern Mexico. Its western part is within the district of Teotitlan del Camino in the Cañada and its eastern part is within the district of Tuxtepec, in the...
, whose elevation scarcely exceeds 2,600 meters. Homeland of the Mazatec people, it contains the important towns Huautla de Jiménez, Eloxchitlán de Flores Magón, and Jalapa de Díaz. Its most unique peak, albeit not its highest, is Cerro Rabon, the whale shaped Holy Mountain of the Mazatecs. South of the Sierra Mazateca lies the Sierra de Cuicatlan, a range which divides the low canyon lands of Cuicatlan from the Sierra Juarez to the west and is home to the Cuicatec
Cuicatec
The Cuicatecs are an indigenous group of the Mexican state of Oaxaca, closely related to the Mixtecs. They inhabit two towns: Teutila and Tepeuxila in western Oaxaca...
people. The Sierra Juárez
Sierra Juárez, Oaxaca
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....
is the land of the Sierra Zapotecs and birthplace of 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...
. The main towns of the Sierra Juarez are Ixtlan 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:...
, San Ildefonso Villa Alta, and Villa Hidalgo Yalalag. North of the Sierra Juárez lies the Sierra Chinanteca, home to 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...
towns such as Santiago Comaltepec, San Pedro Yolóx And San Felipe Usila. Finally to the east, as the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca descends towards 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...
, lies 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....
, home to the Mixe people, descendants of the Ancient Olmecs of Mexico's Gulf Coast. The major Mixe centers are San Pablo & San Pedro Ayutla, Santiago Zacatepec, and Santa María Totontepec, and the major peak of the area is Zempoateptl, the sacred mountain of the Mixe people.
Famous people
- Benito JuárezBenito JuárezBenito 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...
: First indigenous president of Mexico, born in the Zapotec community now called Guelatao de Juárez in his honour. - Marcos Pérez Santiago: A prominent 19th century Oaxacan Liberal and lawyer, born in Teococuilco de Marcos PérezTeococuilco de Marcos PérezTeococuilco de Marcos Pérez is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of km².It is part of the Ixtlán District in the Sierra Norte region.As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of ....
- María SabinaMaria SabinaMaría Sabina was a Mazatec curandera who lived her entire life in a modest dwelling in the Sierra Mazateca of southern Mexico...
: Mazatec curandera from Huautla de Jiménez
- Ricardo Flores MagónRicardo Flores MagónCipriano Ricardo Flores Magón was a noted Mexican anarchist and social reform activist. His brothers Enrique and Jesús were also active in politics. Followers of the Magón brothers were known as Magonistas....
& Enrique Flores MagónEnrique Flores MagónEnrique Flores Magón was a Mexican journalist and politician, associated with the Mexican Liberal Party and anarchism...
: the two famous Mexican anarchists and founders of Magonismo were born in the Sierra MazatecaSierra MazatecaThe Sierra Mazateca is a mountaineous area, part of the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca, located in the northern part of the state of Oaxaca in Southern Mexico. Its western part is within the district of Teotitlan del Camino in the Cañada and its eastern part is within the district of Tuxtepec, in the...
, along with their brother Jesus Flores MagónJesús Flores MagónGaspar Jesús Melchor Flores Magón was a Mexican politician, journalist, and jurist.The more moderate middle brother of Ricardo and Enrique Flores Magón, he served in the cabinet of Francisco I...
, a more moderate politician.