Mazunte is a small beach town on the Pacific coast in Oaxaca, Mexico located 22 km soutwest of San Pedro Pochutla on coastal Highway 200, 10 km to the west of Puerto Angel and just about 1 km from San Agustinillo and 264 km south of the capital of Oaxaca.
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 acrab species that used to be very abundant in the area.
Mazunte has a fine, curving, and sandy beach on a scenic bay, an interestingturtle center, and a good variety of basic and fancier places to stay and eat.
The village is well known as a travelers’ hangout and has a number of foreign residents, attracted by the area’s beauty and laid-back atmosphere. There’s something of hippie vibe.
Mazunte’s economic mainstays used to be turtle meat and eggs: after the turtle industry was banned in 1990, it turned to ecotourism.
The main road running through the middle of Mazunte is called Paseo del Mazunte.
Four lanes run about 500 m from the road to the beach: in east-to-west order they are Andador Golfina, Andador Carey, Andador La Barrita and Calle Rinconcito, this last leading down to the part of the beach called El Rinconcito, which is the best bit for swimming.
The cape Punta Cometa closes off the west end of the bay. A rough track off Calle Rinconcito heads 750m west to Playa Mermejita, a beautiful long, wild beach with a handful of attractive accommodations, some scaling its jungly slopes, unfortunately, tricky currents and strong waves make swimming inadvisable.
Turtle center
The much-visited Mexican Turtle Center, at the east end of Mazunte, is an aquarium and research center that contains specimens of five of Mexico’s seven marine turtle species, plus some freshwater and land varieties.
They’re on view in fairly large tanks; it’s enthralling to get a close-up view of these creatures, some of which are big!
Natural cosmetics in Mazunte
This small cooperative, toward the west end of Mazunte, makes and sells products such as shampoo, cosmetics, mosquito repellent, soap and arnica cream, usingnatural sources like maize, coconut and essential oils. It also sells organic coffee and tahini, and you can have a look at the workshop while here.
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