El Espinal, Oaxaca

El Espinal
Municipality and town
El Espinal Location in Mexico
Coordinates: 16°29′26″N95°02′40″W / 16.49056°N 95.04444°W / 16.49056; -95.04444
Country	Mexico
State	Oaxaca
Area
• Total	82.93 km2 (32.02 sq mi)
Population  (2005)
• Total	8,219
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central Standard Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (Central Daylight Time)

El Espinal, Spanish for "the spine" is a town and municipality in Oaxaca, southeastern Mexico. As of 2005, the municipality had a population of 8,219. ^[1]

Entrada principal del Espinal, Oaxaca.

Geography

Covering an area of 82.93 km², El Espinal is part of the Juchitán District in the west of the Istmo de Tehuantepec region. The area is a plain, ideal for agriculture, with a very warm and somewhat humid climate. It shares boundaries with Asunción Ixtaltepec to the north, Comitancillo and San Pedro Comitancillo to the west, and Juchitán de Zaragoza to the south.

History

El Espinal was recognized as a town in 1808, just before Mexican Independence. This zone did not play an important role during the toughest years of the struggle for the independence of Mexico. Non of the important movements towards independence started here. Nor any of the important personalities that fought for independence was originally from this municipality. El Espinal remained isolated from national events that took place elsewhere.

Infrastructure

In terms of education, the municipality has one kindergarten, four grammar schools, two middle schools, and one high school. Additionally, there is one computer lab and a small English school. Health care is limited, with only one center providing basic services and first aid.

Sports play an important role in El Espinal, with young people frequently using the local facilities. These include two small soccer fields, two basketball courts, and a running track. The most prominent facility is the baseball field, as many well-known Mexican baseball professionals come from this municipality.

In regard to population and according to a local source from 2005, there are about 2,172 houses from which 2,115 are owned by the population.^{[ citation needed ]}

Transportation

On November 21, 2025, the railway station at El Espinal was reopened. It is currently served by Line K of Tren Interoceánico. ^{[2] [3]}

Preceding station	Tren Interoceánico			Following station
Ixtepec toward Salina Cruz		Line K		Juchitán toward Arriaga

Gastronomy

Traditional foods in El Espinal include the black mole, stewed beef, jerked beef, tamales, marquesote, garnachas, corn tamales, chiles stuffed with different types of meat and seafood. ^[4]

References

1. "El Espinal". Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México. Instituto Nacional para el Federalismo y el Desarrollo Municipal. Archived from the original on October 19, 2007. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
2. Chacón, Jorge (November 21, 2025). "Claudia Sheinbaum inaugura la Línea K del Tren Interoceánico; avanza en la conectividad en el Istmo". diariodelistmo.com (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved November 21, 2025.
3. "Pasajeros interoceánico". www.pasajerosinteroceanico.com.mx. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
4. "OAXACA - el Espinal". Archived from the original on 2018-10-08. Retrieved 2018-10-02.