Village :: Mazunte
Quiet beach village and sea turtle center, located very close to the southernmost point of Oaxaca state of Mexico (and also close to better-known Puerto Ángel and Zipolite).
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Wikipedia says that there are two etymologies for the name of the village. Some sources state that "Mazunte" is derived from a Nahuatl phrase, "maxotetia" which means "please deposit eggs here" (Mazunte is famous for sea turtles!). 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. Both ways, you can see that name is closely related to the ocean, which gently rolls its waves over Mazunte's sandy beaches.
Before the mid 20th century, it had nearly no population, but that changed when a market for sea turtle meat and eggs developed. Until late 1990s, killing turtles was the main business here, but then Mexican government quickly reacted to sudden drop in turtles population and banned trade of turtle meat and eggs and promote ecotourism as a healthy alternative for income of the villagers.
The federal government established the Mexican National Turtle Center as the center of an effort to promote sea turtles as a base for tourism, and in the years, families that lost their primary income because of the ban, started to recover and now household income has improved by an average of 17%. Before many residences had no running water, electricity, schools or health centers, which exist now. All this shows a great example for other nations that are blessed by marine biodiversity and gives hope for the future.
Mazunte is a 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) stretch of beach with a secluded cove on the far west end, which is bordered by Punta Cometa ("Comet Point"), also called Cerro Sagrado ("Sacred Hill"). It is the southernmost point of the state of Oaxaca and an important stopping place for migratory birds and marine mammals such as whales. On the other side resides National Mexican Turtle Center. From the beach, boat tours are organized to Zipolite, Puerto Ángel, Estacahuite, La Mina and La Boquilla. Depending on the season, it is possible to see whales, dolphins, sea turtles, manta rays and other aquatic species.
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