Huamelula | |
---|---|
Municipality and town | |
Coordinates: 16°1′N95°40′W / 16.017°N 95.667°W | |
Country | ![]() |
State | Oaxaca |
Area | |
• Total | 505.23 km2 (195.07 sq mi) |
Elevation | 80 m (260 ft) |
Population (2005) | |
• Total | 8,834 |
Time zone | UTC-6 (Central Standard Time) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (Central Daylight Time) |
Huamelula is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. It is in the west of the Tehuantepec District in the west of the Istmo Region, on the Pacific coast. [1]
The municipality covers an area of 505.23 km² of hilly and partly wooded country. The Rosario lagoon is in the southwest of the municipality. The climate is warm, with rains in summer and autumn. Flora include nopal, huaje, palm, pine, Guanacaste, pochote, Tepehuaje, acacia, sapodilla and pitaya. Wild fauna include wild boar, coyote, rabbit, opossum, armadillo, dove, chachalaca and rook. [1]
An ancient settlement was found near the current village dating back to around 300 AD, which appears to have been occupied until the colonial period. Several years ago, a monumental mound was bulldozed to give way for a baseball ground. Under direction, school children collected an array of artifacts from the site, which is now the main collection of the Museo Chontal at San Pedro Huamelula. It includes hacha-style stone sculptures and large vessel fragments. [2] San Pedro Huamelula was founded in 1499. The original name Huamimilolli means "beside the mound of amaranth". [1]
The town is 80 meters above sea level. As of 2005, the municipality had 2,280 households with a total population of 8,834 of whom 546 spoke an indigenous language. [1] The Huamelula language is spoken in the municipality. [3] Some of the people speak the lowland version of Oaxacan Chontal, a language that is in danger of extinction. [4]
The main economic activity is agriculture, with crops of mainly coffee and tropical fruits, and to a lesser extent corn and beans. Some of keep cattle or goats. Commercial fishing includes species such as shrimp and snapper. Cottage industries make clay pots and wooden products. There is some logging for fine woods from the forests. [1]
The town is known for a custom of marriage between the town's mayor and a female caiman that has been practiced for over 230 years. This commemorates the agreement on peace by two native communities, the Huave and the Chontal Maya. The mayor represents the Chontal king and the caiman represents the Huave princess. In July 2023, the mayor Victor Hugo Sosa thus married the caiman Alicia Adriana, whom he called "the princess girl" and professed his love for her. The caiman was dressed in a green skirt, a colourful hand-embroidered tunic and a headdress of ribbons and sequin. The pair travelled from house to house, accompanied by musicians and dancers. After the caiman was put in white bride's clothing, the ceremony continued in the town hall where the pair was officially married. The local people hope this would bring them luck and good fishing. [5]
Magdalena Tequisistlán is a town and municipality in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, located 470 km (290 mi) southeast of Mexico City. It is part of the Tehuantepec District in the west of the Istmo Region. The town was founded in 1410 under the present name. In the Chontal language it was known as "Maadú".
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San Mateo del Mar is a coastal town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. It is part of the Tehuantepec District in the west of the Istmo Region. It is the largest of four Huave towns in the region, the others being San Dionisio del Mar, San Francisco del Mar and Santa María del Mar.
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Santiago Astata is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. It is part of the Tehuantepec District in the west of the Istmo Region. The name "Astata" means "place of herons".
Yautepec District is located in the east of the Sierra Sur Region of the State of Oaxaca, Mexico.
The Indigenous people of Oaxaca are descendants of the inhabitants of what is now the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, who were present before the Spanish invasion. Several cultures flourished in the ancient region of Oaxaca from as far back as 2000 BC, of whom the Zapotecs and Mixtecs were perhaps the most advanced, with complex social organization and sophisticated arts.
The state of Oaxaca, Mexico has a total population of about 3.5 million, with women outnumbering men by 150,000 and about 60% of the population under the age of 30. It is ranked tenth in population in the country. Fifty three percent of the population lives in rural areas. Most of the state’s population growth took place between 1980 and 1990. Life expectancy is 71.7 for men and 77.4 for women, just under the national average. Births far outpace deaths. In 2007, there were 122,579 births and 19,439 deaths. Approximately 85% profess the Catholic faith.
Huamelultec is one of the Chontal languages of Oaxaca, Mexico. It is spoken in the Oaxacan municipalities of San Pedro Huamelula, Santiago Astata, and Tehuantepec . The name has been misspelled Tlamelula.
Nacajuca is a city in Nacajuca Municipality in the state of Tabasco, Mexico. It is part of the Chontalapa region in the north center of the state and a major center of Tabasco's Chontal Maya population. Although the local economy is still based on agriculture and livestock, oil production, handcrafts and some tourism are important aspects as well. The environment of the area is low-lying flat land susceptible to flooding including being hard hit by the 2007 Tabasco flood and more recent flooding in 2011.