Pinotepa Nacional (formally: Santiago Pinotepa Nacional; in
Ñu'savi, ''Ñuu Ñoko'', which means Twenty-House Town) is a city and seat of the
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
of the same name, in the
Mexican state
A Mexican State (), officially the Free and Sovereign State (), is a constituent federative entity of Mexico according to the Constitution of Mexico. Currently there are 31 states, each with its own constitution, government, state governor, a ...
of
Oaxaca
Oaxaca, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca, is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of the Mexico, United Mexican States. It is divided into municipalities of Oaxaca, 570 munici ...
.
It is located in the
Jamiltepec District in the west of the
Costa Region
The Costa Region or Costa Chica lies on the Pacific coast of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, south of the more mountainous Sierra Sur inland from the coast. It includes the districts of Jamiltepec, Juquila and Pochutla.
Climate
The region has a ...
. The name Pinotepa means "toward the crumbling hill" in
Nahuatl
Nahuatl ( ; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...
.
The town
During colonial times, its name was Pinotepa del Rey, and just after Independence, it was called Pinotepa del Estado. It is located at a height of 200 m above sea level in the
Mixteca de la Costa
is a cultural, economic and political region in Western Oaxaca and neighboring portions of Puebla, Guerrero in south-central Mexico, which refers to the home of the Mixtec people. In their languages, the region is called either , or . Two-third ...
region of the state.
The region has an interesting history. A high percentage of its population is of African ancestry. There are two historical theories of how this came about. The first is that during the colonial period African slaves were brought to this area to work on the various
hacienda
A ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or '' finca''), similar to a Roman '' latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards ...
s here. The second theory is that these people are the descendants of Africans destined for the slave trade whose ship wrecked off the coast of Oaxaca.
This is also the home of the notorious bandit Silverio Petatán, who was captured and executed in 1864. Because of his boss-eye and colourful language, the bandit's head was brought to the town and put on public display for a number of days.
It is one of the few
Afro-Mexican areas of the country (African descendants are also historically present in
Guerrero
Guerrero, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guerrero, is one of the 32 states that compose the administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guerrero, 85 municipalities. The stat ...
,
Sinaloa
Sinaloa (), officially the (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities, and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales.
It is located in northwest Mexic ...
and
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...
).
It is also noted for crafts such as knitted items, embroidered items, and, in particular, knives,
machete
A machete (; ) is a broad blade used either as an agricultural implement similar to an axe, or in combat like a long-bladed knife. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the Spanish language, the word is possibly a dimin ...
s and saddle making.
On February 16, 2018, a powerful earthquake struck the area.
The municipality
As municipal seat, Pinotepa Nacional has governing jurisdiction over the following communities:
Acuautepec o Agua de la Caña, Agua Dulce, Antonio García Zamora, Antonio Gazga, Arroyo Seco, Carnicería, Cerro de la Esperanza, Charco del Otate, Collantes, Colonia Cuauhtémoc, Colonia de la Libertad, Colonia UCIDEBACC, Colonia Vicente Guerrero, Corralero, La Cruz del Ita Kuán, El Dispensario, El Añil, El Alacrán, El Azicate, El Carrizal (El Toronjil), El Carrizo, El Ciruelo, El Conejo, El Cuachilote, El Jícaro, El Manguito, El Palomar, El Ranchito, El Retén, El Salado, El Tamal, El Tamarindo 1, El Tamarindo 2, El Tanaroa, El Viscaíno, El Zapote, Fraccionamiento San Isidro, Granja Avícola Delia, Guadalupe Victoria, Hornos los Pajaritos, Isaura Rodríguez, José Miguel Fuentes, La Alberca (Arroyo Limón), La Cañada, La Finca, La Ganadera, La Noria y Minindaca, La Palma, La Palma del Coyul, La Raya, Lagunillas, Las Lomas, Las Playitas, Librado Baños Baños, Lo de Candela, Lo de Mejía, Lo de Riaño, Lo de Vera, Loma Larga, Los Cuajilotes, Los Horcones, Los Hornos Grandes, Los Pocitos, Mancuernas, Mango Solo, Mariano Matamoros, Melquíades A. Vargas, Minillahui, Minitán, Las Motillas, Paso de la Garrocha, Pie del Cerro, Piedra Blanca, Playa Banco de Oro, Rancho de la Virgen, Rancho El Santo, Rancho Ramírez, Rose Mary, San Isidro, Santa María Xicaltepec, Willians, La Yerbasanta, Yutacuiñe, Yutacuite and Yuyaquita.
Nearby is the
Laguna de Corralero, a lagoon that is propitious for fishing and bird watching.
[ Retrieved on February 16, 2018]
References
External links
Pinotepa Nacional
{{Authority control
Municipalities of Oaxaca