Mapastepec is a town and

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' ...

in the Mexican state of

Chiapas Chiapas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises Municipalities of Chiapas, 124 municipalities and its capital and large ...

in southern

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. Its name derives from the place name ''mapachtepec'', "Hill of the

Raccoon The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the North American, northern or common raccoon (also spelled racoon) to distinguish it from Procyonina, other species of raccoon, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest ...

", a compound of the

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 ...

words ''mapachi'' ("raccoon") and ''tepetl'' ("mountain"). Mapestepec is on the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

, with roughly half of its territory on the Pacific Coastal Plain and half in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas mountain range. It is partly within two of Mexico's Biosphere Reserves, featuring a number of important species, including the horned guan (''Oreophasis derbianus''), Baird's tapir (''Tapirus bairdii''), the

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...

(''Panthera once'') and rare cloud forest and mangrove habitat. The primary sector makes up over half of the local economy. Key products include cheese and dairy products and the local Ataulfo mango.

History

Mapastepec was founded in 1486 as an

Aztec The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the Post-Classic stage, post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central ...

tributary state A tributary state is a pre-modern state in a particular type of subordinate relationship to a more powerful state which involved the sending of a regular token of submission, or tribute, to the superior power (the suzerain). This token often ...

, under the name of Mapachtépec. In 1611, the first census conducted by the colonial authorities recorded Mapastepec's population as 265. Mapastepec was upgraded to the status of

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

(''villa'') by a decree issued by Ephraim A. Osorio, then governor of the State of

, on July 5, 1955.

Key dates in recent history

* 1915 - Abolition of territorial administrative structure under political authorities (the '' Jefaturas políticas''), with subsequent reorganization and creation of free municipalities * 1955 - On July 5, State Governor Efrain A. Osorio promulgates decree granting the status of "town" to the municipal capital * 1962 - Construction of Pacific coastal road, with connecting road to Mapastepec (see also Mexican Federal Highway 200) * 1983 - Mapastepec integrated into Soconusco, political region VIII of the state of Chiapas * 1984 - Town Hall built to house the Municipal Presidency * 1990 - Creation of El Triunfo natural protected area, which became a Biosphere Reserve in 1993 * 1995 - Creation of La Encrucijada natural protected area, recognized as a Biosphere Reserve in 2006 * 1998 - Heavy rains in September cause rivers to overflow, destroying the village of Valdivia * 2005 - Hurricane Stan washes away part of the coastal railway line

Demographics

Population

The total population of the municipality was 47,932 at the time of the 2015 Intercensal Survey, conducted by the

National Institute of Statistics and Geography The National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI from its former name in ) is an autonomous agency of the Mexican Government dedicated to coordinate the National System of Statistical and Geographical Information of the country. It w ...

(''Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía'' - INEGI). This represented an increase from 43,913 in 2010, and 39,055 in 2005. In 2015, women made up 50.9% of the inhabitants of the municipality and men 49.1%, with an average age of 24. The population represented 0.9% of the state of Chiapas. The population of the town of Mapastepec was 17,931 in 2010, followed by Sesecapa (2,143) and Nuevo Milenio Valdivia (1,789). In 2015, 52 of the 118 localities in the municipality had more than 100 inhabitants. Isolation and the poor condition of roads, particularly at higher altitudes, makes access to public services difficult for many of the smaller settlements.

Indigenous languages

The 2010 Census of Population and Housing (''Censo de Población y Vivienda 2010'') recorded 131 speakers of an indigenous language in Mapastepec, representing 0.33 percent of its population. The most widely spoken of these languages were Zapotec (41),

Mame MAME (formerly an acronym of Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is a free and open-source emulator designed to emulate the hardware of arcade games, video game consoles, old computers and other systems in software on modern personal computers and ...

(13), Tzotzil (13) and Tzeltal (12), with another twelve languages represented. An additional 34 respondents did not specify which indigenous language they spoke.

Religion

As at 2005, 65.68% of the population was Catholic, higher than the figure for the region of Soconusco (58.98%) and slightly above the national figure of 63.83%. 14.77% of the population was Protestant, 4.81% non-evangelical biblical, and 13.07% professed no religion.

Geography

Location

The municipality of Mapastepec is situated in the southern part of the state of

. It is bounded by the municipalities of La Concordia, Ángel Albino Corzo and Montecristo de Guerrero to the north, Siltepec, Acacoyagua and Acapetahua to the east, the

to the south, and Pijijiapan to the west. The municipality covers an area of , representing 19.81% of the Soconusco region and 1.44% of the state of Chiapas. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean to the Sierra Madre de Chiapas mountain range, with a maximum altitude of

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

(a.s.l.). The highest peaks are La Cumbre, La Bandera and El Pujido. Mountainous and hilly terrain makes up approximately 50% of the area of the municipality, with low foothills accounting for another 10%. 40% of its territory lies on the Pacific coastal plain, and some 6% of this area is alluvial floodplain and saltmarsh. Alluvial soils predominate. The town of Mapestepec, the municipal capital, is at a.s.l. The main rivers of Mapastepec are the Río Novillero, Río San Nicolás, Río Gobierno and Río Las Flores. Smaller perennial streams include the Arroyo Sesecapa, Arroyo Tablasón and Arroyo Cuilapa. A number of intermittent streams run through the municipality. The principal

bodies of water A body of water or waterbody is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another planet. The term most often refers to oceans, seas, and lakes, but it includes smaller pools of water such as ponds, wetlands, or more ra ...

are the Chantuto, Pampa Buenavista and Pampa Castaña lagoons, and the El Coco estuary.

Climate

Hot and humid from January to September and a milder coastal climate from October to December. Its average annual temperature is , with an average annual rainfall of . The heaviest rainfall occurs from June to September.

Protected areas

More than half of the territory of Mapastepec (51.85%) is situated in protected and conservation areas, totalling . The Huizapa-Sesecapa Reforestation Area (''Zona de Reforestación Huizapa-Sesecapa'') lies on the Pacific coastal plain. Created by decree of October 8, 1936, it was the first protected natural area in the state of Chiapas. The Pico El Loro-Paxtal ecological conservation zone was created by decree of November 22, 2000 to protect cloud forest in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas foothills. Parts of Mapastepec are within two important natural reserves in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves designated by the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

Man and the Biosphere Programme Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an intergovernmental scientific program, launched in 1971 by UNESCO, that aims to establish a scientific basis for the 'improvement of relationships' between people and their environments. MAB engages w ...

. The El Triunfo reserve, created by decree of March 13, 1990, was inscribed on the list of Mexican Biosphere Reserves in 1993. It contains two of the most endangered ecosystems in Mexico: the Soconusco tropical rainforest, and cloud forest growing to over 2,000 meters (6,600 ft) above sea level. La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve, established as a reserve by decree on June 6, 1995, was inscribed on the list of Biosphere Reserves in 2006. La Encrucijada is also protected under the

Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar site, Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on We ...

, figuring on the List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance. It was inscribed on the list of Ramsar sites in Mexico on March 20, 1996. Located to the south of the town of Mapastepec, La Encrucijada contains one of the most significant wetland and coastal lagoon networks in Mexico, with mangroves among the tallest of the Pacific coast of the Americas. Both the El Triunfo and La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserves are under the administration of the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (''Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas'', CONANP), an agency of the

Federal government A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...

. CONANP has a water management office for El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve in the town of Mapastepec.

Flora

The vegetation of Mapastepec varies from the lowland jungle and mangroves of the Pacific coastal plain to oak–pine forest in the high mountains of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas. Emblematic mangrove and lowland species in La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve include the red mangrove ('' Rhizophora mangle''), white mangrove ('' Laguncularia racemosa''), black mangrove (''

Avicennia germinans ''Avicennia germinans'', the black mangrove, is a shrub or small tree growing up to 12 meters (39 feet) in the acanthus family, Acanthaceae. It grows in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, on both the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts ...

''), buttonwood ('' Conocarpus erectus''), gumbo-limbo, also known as copperwood, or chaca ('' Bursera simaruba''), Mexican palmetto ('' Sabal mexicana''), ('' Cyperus spp.''), and Malabar chestnut, or saba nut ('' Pachira aquatica''). Other species growing in the lowland areas and adjacent highlands include ''( Pithecellobium dulce''), and pinguin ('' Bromelia pinguin''). The cloud forest of El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve also contains a rich diversity of

orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Earth ...

, cycads and tree ferns ( Cyatheales). Among other species are the hardwood Ecuador laurel or salmwood ('' Cordia alliodora'') in the high forests, the guanacaste ('' Enterolobium cyclocarpum''), the ceiba or kapok (''

Ceiba pentandra ''Ceiba pentandra'' is a tropical tree of the order (biology), order Malvales and the family (biology), family Malvaceae (previously emplaced in the family Bombacaceae), native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, ...

''), the lowland evergreen sapodilla ('' Manilkara zapota''), '' Calycophyllum candidissimum'', and the yellow-wood ('' Terminalia oblongata''). Fruits include avocados, mamey, mango, custard apple, soursop, papausa, cuajinicuil, and caspirol.

Fauna

The endangered horned guan (''pavón cornudo''; ''Oreophasis derbianus''), considered the state bird, is found in El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve in the high mountains of Mapastepec and neighboring municipalities. Also present is the emblem of the reserve, the Resplendent quetzal (''Pharomachrus mocinno''). Other key species include Azure-rumped tanager (''Poecilostreptus cabanisi''), the king vulture (''Sarcoramphus papa''), Baird's tapir (''Tapirus bairdii''); the

(''Panthera once''), the oncilla (''Leopardus tigrinus'') and the

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, badgers, mink, and wolverines, among ...

(''Lutrinae''). Also found are hummingbirds, the harpy eagle, hawk, parrot, owl, skylark, ''chupamiel'', mockingbird, rook, buzzard, pigeons, doves, yellow-throated toucans and many other bird species. Mammals and reptiles include the spider monkey, raccoon, porcupine, anteater, skunk, deer, puma, bobcat, agouti, wild boar, opossum, rabbit, rattlesnake, coral snake, false coral snake, ''nahuyaca'', and ''Chichicua''. There is high insect diversity. Emblematic species of La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve on the coastal plain include the northern tamandua (''Tamandua mexicana''),

orange-chinned parakeet The orange-chinned parakeet (''Brotogeris jugularis''), also known as the Tovi parakeet, is a species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is found from southern Mexico through Central Ame ...

(''Brotogeris jugularis''),

American crocodile The American crocodile (''Crocodylus acutus'') is a species of crocodilian found in the Neotropics. It is the most widespread of the four Extant taxon, extant species of crocodiles from the Americas, with populations present from South Florida, ...

(''Crocodylus acutus''), spectacled caiman (''Caiman crocodilus''), green iguana (''Iguana iguana''), wood stork (''Mycteria americana''), orange-fronted parakeet (''Aratinga canicularis''),

nine-banded armadillo The nine-banded armadillo (''Dasypus novemcinctus''), also called the nine-banded long-nosed armadillo or common long-nosed armadillo, is a species of armadillo native to North America, North, Central America, Central, and South America, making ...

(''Dasypus novemcinctus''),

gray fox The gray fox (''Urocyon cinereoargenteus''), or grey fox, is an omnivorous mammal of the family Canidae, widespread throughout North America and Central America. This species and its only congener (biology), congener, the diminutive island fox ...

(''Urocyon cinereoargenteus''),

boa constrictor The boa constrictor (scientific name also ''Boa constrictor''), also known as the common boa, is a species of large, non-venomous, heavy-bodied snake that is frequently kept and bred in captivity. The boa constrictor is a member of the Family (b ...

(''Boa constrictor''), black spiny-tailed iguana ('' Ctenosaura similis''), olive ridley sea turtle (''Lepidochelys olivacea''), and

scorpion mud turtle The scorpion mud turtle or Tabasco mud turtle (''Kinosternon scorpioides'') is a species of mud turtle in the family Kinosternidae. It is found in Mexico, Central and South America. Description The scorpion mud turtle is a medium to large kin ...

(''Kinosternum scorpioides''). Also endemic to the area are the cinnamon-tailed sparrow (''Peucaea sumichrasti''), berylline hummingbird (''Amazilia berillyna''), green-fronted hummingbird (''Amazilia viridifrons''), giant wren (''Campylorhynchus chiapensis''), Mexican hairy dwarf porcupine (''Coendou mexicanus''), Mexican spiny-tailed iguana ('' Ctenosaura pectinata''), flammulated flycatcher (''Deltarhynchus flammulatus''), Red-breasted chat (''Granatellus venustus''), West Mexican chachalaca (''Ortalis poliocephala''), rose-bellied bunting (''Passerina rositae''), longtail spiny lizard (''Sceloporus siniferus''), citreoline trogon (''Trogon citreolus''), Sonora mud turtle (''Kinosternon sonoriense''), and the cinnamon myotis bat (''Myotis fortidens'').

Environmental issues

Chiapas has a wide variety of natural resources. Heavy exploitation over many years, in particular of timber, has led to significant deforestation in the municipality, causing species loss and environmental degradation. Logging and forest fires are also associated with the leaching of nutrients from the soil and with soil erosion, aggravated by heavy rainfall. Pollution of local waterways is related to agricultural activities including fertilizer use. These environmental issues are the focus of municipal government ecological management, conservation and sustainability planning.

Cultural and tourist attractions

Festivals

The most important feast days celebrated in Mapastepec are the feast day of the ''Señor de Esquipulas'', honoring the Black Christ of Esquipulas on January 15, and the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul on June 29.

Paul the Apostle Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Apostles in the New Testament, Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the Ministry of Jesus, teachings of Jesus in the Christianity in the 1st century, first ...

(''San Pedro Apostol'') is considered the patron saint of the town of Mapastepec. The town also honors the

Virgin of Guadalupe Our Lady of Guadalupe (), also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe (), is a Catholic Church, Catholic Titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with four Marian apparitions to Juan Diego and one to his uncle, J ...

. Easter, the Day of the Dead (), Christmas and the New Year are also celebrated. In March, a trade and agriculture fair is held in the town of Mapastepec, featuring associated cultural events and musical performances. Since 2016 it has been promoted as the Cheese Fair (''Feria del Queso''), a showcase for local dairy produce.

Crafts

Handcrafted woodcuts are made in the municipality.

Gastronomy

Typical dishes of the municipality are iguana tamales, armadillo stew, baked chicken, marshmallow candies, ''nuegados chilacayote,'' coconut water, beer, cocoa, and white pozol.

Sports

The four main football fields in Mapastepec are the November 20 field, Santa Cruz, Olimpia and Anahuac. In addition to other sports, the traditional sport of Charrería is also popular.

Economy

The economy of the municipality is based on agriculture, beef and dairy cattle and other livestock farming, fishing and aquaculture, forestry and construction, tourism, trade and services. The dairy industry, celebrated in the annual Cheese Fair is a significant sector, producing some 20 major cheeses including cream cheese, mediacrema cheese, cheese snacks, cheese, Cotija cheese, and cream.

Agriculture and livestock

The primary sector occupies more than half of the working population of the municipality (52.82% in 2000). The agricultural sector is the largest economic sector. The principal crops grown are

avocado The avocado, alligator pear or avocado pear (''Persea americana'') is an evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae). It is native to Americas, the Americas and was first domesticated in Mesoamerica more than 5,000 years ago. It was priz ...

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...

, cocoa beans, coffee beans,

fodder Fodder (), also called provender (), is any agriculture, agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, domestic rabbit, rabbits, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. "Fodder" refers particularly to food ...

, green chili peppers, green beans,

maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...

, oranges, African oil palm, parlour palm (''Chamaedorea'' spp.),

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

, sesame,

sorghum ''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a species in the Poaceae, grass genus ''Sorghum (genus), Sorghum'' cultivated for its grain. The grain i ...

and

watermelon The watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Cucurbitaceae, that has a large, edible fruit. It is a Glossary of botanical terms#scandent, scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, and is plant breeding ...

. Approximately half of the municipality lies on the Pacific coastal plain, facilitating extensive agriculture and allowing for significant mechanization. Agricultural tractors are widely used. Mapastepec grows many kinds of mango. Varieties include the Ataulfo mango, a protected designation of origin cultivar originating locally from the Soconusco region of Chiapas. Also grown are the cultivars known in Mexico as ''Criollo'', ''Jobo'', ''Manila'' and ''Manililla'', and the

Tommy Atkins Tommy Atkins (often just Tommy) is slang for a common soldier in the British Army.Mexican Social Security Institute (''Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, IMSS'') under its IMSS Prospera program Health services provided include an emergency department, surgical facilities, a labor ward, a pediatrics department, a general hospital and laboratory services.

Railway

There were two unsuccessful attempts to build a railway along the coast of Chiapas in the 19th century before an Anglo-American company, The Mexican Pacific Railroad Limited, built the Pan American Railway (''Ferrocarril Panamericano'') in the early 20th century. Work began in 1902 with initial repairs to a short existing rail segment from the port town of

Puerto Arista Puerto Arista (Arista Port) is a small community and tourist attraction located on the north coast of Chiapas, Mexico in the municipality of Tonalá, Chiapas, Tonalá. While it originally was a port, its lack of harbor and suitability for large ca ...

on the northern coast of Chiapas in 1902. In 1903, construction began in San Jerónimo Doctor (now Ixtepec) in the state of Oaxaca, building south towards the Guatemalan border. Work was completed as far as Tonalá in Chiapas by December of that year. The railway reached the municipalities of Pijijiapan and Mapastepec in 1906, arriving at Suchiate on the border with

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

on July 1, 1908. The national rail operator Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México took over the line in 1914. It was privatized in 1999 under a 30-year concession to Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary Ferrocarriles Chiapas-Mayab. Ferrocarriles Chiapas-Mayab gave up its concession in 2007 after Hurricane Stan badly damaged the line in October 2005, rendering it inoperable. State-owned company Ferrocarril Transístmico took over the concession in 2008, and the line has since been known as the Isthmus of Tehuantepec Railway (''Ferrocarril del Istmo de Tehuantepec''). Work was done to repair a number of bridges but the line remained out of commission. In 2015, a feasibility study was conducted into repairing and rehabilitating the line. In 2018 it remains out of service.

References

{{Chiapas Municipalities of Chiapas