San Juan Bautista Coixtlahuaca, Municipality in Mixteca Region, Oaxaca, Mexico
San Juan Bautista Coixtlahuaca is a municipality in the Mixteca Region of Oaxaca located at 2,294 meters (7,527 feet) in elevation. Three mountain ranges surround the area, creating diverse ecosystems of oak forests and grasslands.
The name derives from the Nahuatl term 'Cōāīxtlahuacān', meaning 'In the plain of the snakes', which was given by the Aztecs in 1458. This designation reflects the region's long connection to pre-Columbian settlement.
Residents speak Chocho and Mixtec languages and practice traditional farming methods like milpa and terrace cultivation. These languages and techniques shape daily agricultural life across the communities here.
The area is accessible via a network of roads connecting different communities and regions. Visiting during the dry season makes traveling through the surrounding mountain areas easier and more comfortable.
Fossils and petrified marine shells found in La Estancia community show that this entire region was once submerged beneath the sea thousands of years ago. These geological remnants tell a story of dramatic landscape changes over vast spans of time.
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