Introduction
Town in Oaxaca, MexicoMazunteTownMazunte and Punta CometaMazunteLocation in MexicoCoordinates: 15°40′03″N 96°33′13″W / 15.66750°N 96.55361°W / 15.66750; -96.55361Country MexicoStateOaxacaMunicipalitySanta María TonamecaElevation30 m (98 ft)Population (2020) • Total651Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)Postal code70902Area code958
Mazunte is a small beach town on the Pacific coast of Oaxaca, Mexico (15°39′53″N 96°33′14″W / 15.66485°N 96.55388°W / 15.66485; -96.55388). It is located 22 km southwest of San Pedro Pochutla on coastal Highway 200. Mazunte is located some 10 km to the west of Puerto Ángel and just about 1 km from San Agustinillo and 264 km south of the capital of Oaxaca. There are two etymologies for the name. Some sources state that "Mazunte" is derived from a Nahuatl phrase, "maxotetia" which means "please deposit eggs here." However, older residents of the community state that it is from the word “mizontle,” used by locals to refer to a crab species that used to be very abundant in the area.
Mazunte is famous for sea turtles. Before the mid 20th century, it had nearly no human population, but that changed when a market for sea turtle meat and eggs developed. Due to the many turtles that come to Mazunte to lay eggs, by the 1970s, Mazunte was the center of sea turtle hunting in Mexico, with its own slaughterhouse. Concern over the declining number of sea turtles eventually led to an absolute ban on turtle meat and eggs in Mexico, and deprived most families in Mazunte of their main source of income. To replace it, ecotourism based on the conservation of turtles and natural cosmetics developed. The main attractions of Mazunte today are the Mexican National Turtle Center and the Cosméticos Naturales de Mazunte.
In 2012, Mazunte was heavily damaged by Hurricane Carlotta.
History
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A Map of Mazunte
Up until the middle of the 20th century, very few people lived in this area as it was isolated and inaccessible. Only about two or three homes belonging to families who made a living by subsistence fishing and agriculture were here. The population began to rise with the establishment of sea turtle hunting, which began in nearby San Agustinillo. In the 1970s a turtle slaughterhouse was built in Mazunte, making the area the center of sea turtle exploitation, and the town became almost wholly dependent on the trade of turtle meat and eggs, the latter considered to be an aphrodisiac. Legally about 30,000 animals a year were butchered, but some environmentalists believe the illegal take may have been more than twice that.
The idea of ecotourism based on sea turtles began in the 1970s when a company called the Pesquera Industrial Oaxaca, became concerned with the over exploitation of sea turtles and proposed an industry based on the raising and release of turtles as well as the monitoring of the commercial capture. They founded a center which was taken over in 1985 by the Instituto Nacional de la Pesca, naming it after Daniel León de Guevara. In 1971, Mexico banned egg collection, but this prohibition was mostly ignored.
By 1988, the number of nests here dropped to 100,000 from an earlier average of 900,000. After the moratorium on sea turtles, nest number quickly rose again.
The trade in turtle meat and eggs was banned by the Mexican federal government in 1990 causing most families to lose the primary source of income. Government and private organizations stepped in to provide alternatives. The federal government established the Mexican National Turtle Center (Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga) as the center of an effort to promote sea turtles as a base for tourism. The community was also assisted by an environmental group known as Ecosolar in Mexico City and developed plans to educate about the environment, reforestation, and ecotourism. By the end of 1993, these groups along with Accion Forestal Tropical planted about 6,000 trees, and bungalows for guests made from traditional materials, such as palm fronds and adobe, were built. These bungalows originally were built adjacent to family homes, with guests sharing in family meals, and accompanying fishermen out to sea.
In 1993, Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, was invited to visit Mazunte. Impressed with efforts here, an agreement was reached to distribute cosmetics made here with local ingredients. This effort also resulted in the creation of Cosméticos Naturales de Mazunte, a cooperative of fifteen families that produce and sell their own line of cosmetics in 1996.
The community has declared itself a "Reserva Económica Ecológica Campesina" (Peasant Ecological Economic Reserve) as it has stopped hunting turtles and their eggs and work towards preserving them. The number of turtle nests increased from 60,000 in 1988 to nearly 700,000 in 1995 and the number continues to rise.
In 1997, Mazunte was devastated by Hurricanes Pauline and Rick, which caused widespread destruction and economic collapse. Almost everything built here was destroyed. To rebuild tourism, annual events such as the Spring Equinox Festival, The International Dance Festival and the Jazz Encounter were founded, which are the largest of their kind in Oaxaca.
Since the ban and the change in economy, household income has improved by an average of 17%. Before many residences had no running water, electricity, schools or health centers, which exist now. Now there is universal running water, three schools and a wider variety in diet. Land prices have risen as well as rents.
