Mazunte

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Mazunte is a small beach town on the Pacific coast in Oaxaca, Mexico (15.66485° N 96.55388° W). It is home to an impressive turtle museum, the National Mexican Turtle Center (Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga).^[1] The museum was opened in September 1991 to help the local economy since the turtle and turtle egg trade which the area had previously relied on was made illegal 30 or 40 years ago. There is also a turtle research center and turtle nursery here.^[1] There are two beautiful golden-sand beaches -- the main beach and one smaller cove called Rinconcito -- surrounded by rocky outcrops. Rinconcito is the beach that the locals use for recreation and for launching their fishing boats. The water is azure blue, occasionally with big waves, but usually swimmable.

All but one of the marine turtles come here to lay their eggs, as well as a few land and freshwater turtle species.^[1] Mazunte's gorgeous beach and the green-travel allure of its sea turtle museum and nesting grounds have contributed to Mazunte's reputation as a mellow travel stop among backpackers has encouraged the growth of restaurants, bars and rustic accommodations, some of which line the beach, for budget travelers; there are no luxury accommodations or resorts. Mazunte is also within a short drive's distance from nude beaches and nightlife of long-time hippie destination Zipolite.

The sunset is best seen at Punta Cometa, the most southern point of Oaxaca, that can be reached on foot from Mazunte. Another great place for sunsets is Playa Mermejita, just on the other side of Punta Cometa, until recently a virgin beach.

Mazunte was minimally populated until the early 1970s, mostly by indigenous Zapotec people, when a Texan known to locals as 'James', who still winters at Mazunte, built the road to the beach. Access to Mazunte was an unpaved footpath until the late 1980s. The town now has a population of around 700, many of whom are European expats. Decisions are made in lively town meetings, which are scheduled four times annually, but can be called in case of emergency.

Cosméticos Naturales de Mazunte is a community enterprise dedicated to making high quality make-up that is 100% environmentally friendly. This began a decade ago with the sponsorship of The Body Shop. They produce shampoo, conditioner, bath gels, soap and other items.^[1]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• TomZap Information Site (English) [1]
• Lugares de Mexico (Spanish) [2]
• Posada Arigalan Hotel [3]
• Carlos Einstein Bar and Hostel [4]