The Amuzgo people of Mexico's Costa Chica

Bobby Vaughn’s Black Mexico – The 29 Largely Afro-Mexican Communities in the Costa Chica Region

(populations based on 1990 census) GUERRERO Cerro del Indio 615 Cuajinicuilapa 8439 Maldonado 964 Montecillos 880 El Pitahayo 2186 Punta Maldonado 1109 San Nicolás 3359 Copala 5772 Azoyú 3718 Huehuetán 1662 Juchitán 3409 Marquelia 6305 38,418 OAXACA El Carrizo 1752 El Ciruelo 2393 Collantes 1967 Corralero 1039 El Chivo 868 Lagunillas 449 El Azufre 320 […]

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Hierve el Agua is stunning, one of Oaxaca's most impressive attractions

Hierve el Agua: Bubbling springs and petrified waterfalls in Oaxaca, Mexico

Hierve el Agua is stunning, one of Oaxaca’s most impressive attractions — and perhaps one of the most spectacular in the entire country. Yet, surprisingly, it is one of the least visited. With its bubbling springs and petrified waterfalls, Hierve el Agua should be considered a “must see” for naturalists, photographers, hikers and anyone else […]

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The Amuzgo people of Mexico's Costa Chica

Mexico’s Black heritage: the Costa Chica of Guerrero and Oaxaca

The Costa Chica (“Short Coast” in Spanish) is one of two regions in Mexico with significant Black communities, the other being the state of Veracruz on the Gulf coast. The Costa Chica is a 200-mile-long coastal region beginning just southeast of Acapulco, Guerrero, and ending near the town of Puerto Angel, Oaxaca. The shaded area […]

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A clay casserole of mole for a Oaxaca feast © Alvin Starkman, 2007

The Cuisine of Oaxaca, Land of the Seven Moles

While Mexican cooking varies from one region of the country to another, no State compares with Oaxaca in the variety of cuisines found within its borders. The natural geographic divisions created by the mountain ranges (Sierras) criss-crossing the state, have given rise to distinct cultures and micro climates within Oaxaca. Differing local foods and their culinary use […]

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Ceremonial antlers, huaje, and conch horn for the temazcal, a traditional native Mexican American purification ceremony © Jeffrey Bacon, 2012

Reborn in the temazcal: A traditional native Mexican American purification ceremony

We sit in darkness, on an earthen floor. Hot vapor condenses and drips down my skin as I hug my knees against my chest and breathe lightly to cool the scalding vapor before it reaches my lungs. The beat of a drum, leather stretched over a wooden frame, penetrates my chest, and we begin to […]

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