San Pedro Tapanatepec Explained

San Pedro Tapanatepec
Settlement Type:Municipality and town
Pushpin Map:Mexico
Pushpin Label Position:above
Pushpin Mapsize:300
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Mexico
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Mexico
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Oaxaca
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Juchitán District
Area Total Km2:544.78
Population As Of:2005
Timezone:Central Standard Time
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:Central Daylight Time
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Coordinates:16.3667°N -106°W
Elevation M:40

San Pedro Tapanatepec is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in southeastern Mexico. It is part of the Juchitán District in the west of the Istmo de Tehuantepec region.

History

The town was founded on 23 April 1669, and became a municipality on March 15, 1825.The name means "broken hill".[1] Before the arrival of the Spanish, the town was inhabited by Zoque people, and may have been part of the Xoconochco province of the Zapotec kingdom of Tehuantepec.[2]

Geography

The municipality covers an area of 544.78 km2. The town is at an elevation of 40 meters above sea level. There is one river, the Novillero, which rises at El Potrerito in the Sierra Madre.The climate is warm, sub-humid with summer rains. Flora include mesquite, mango, sapodilla, lemon, tepezcohuite, pochote, low scrub and grassland.Wild fauna include wild boar, rabbit, coyote, deer, armadillo and iguana.[1]

Population

As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 13,647 of whom 609 spoke an indigenous language.

Economy

Economic activity included growing corn, sorghum, sesame, watermelon, melon, mango and lemon, and raising cattle, goats, sheep, horses and poultry. Dairy farming is important in the community.The town also has facilities for canning fruit.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: San Pedro Tapanatepec . Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México . . 2010-07-15.
  2. Book: 346 . The Tenochca Empire of ancient Mexico: the triple alliance of Tenochtitlan, Tetzcoco, and Tlacopan . Pedro Carrasco Pizana . University of Oklahoma Press . 1999 . 0-8061-3144-6.