Tehuantepec, Oaxaca 作者：  来源：  发布时间：2021-11-18

1.Population and Area

Pop: 39,529 (city)

 Area: 965.8 km2 (munip.)

Elev: 55 masl

2. Natural geography

Nature and weather

Major elevations include El Zacatal (1,040 masl), Cerro de la Marimba (1,257 masl), Guiengola (1,257) and Tecuani (700 masl). Within the city proper there are a number of hills which carry names such as El Tigre (Dani’i Guie Be’edxe in Zapotec), Crux Padre López, El Zopilote, Vixhana and La Cueva. All of these are under 425 meters above sea level. There one river with the same name, which cuts through the city. Its Zapotec name is Guigu Roo Guisii. This rivers starts in the Miahuatlán Sierra and empties into the Pacific Ocean at La Ventosa in Salina Cruz. The climate is hot and humid with rains in spring, summer and fall. It can be windy at times with prevailing winds blowing north to south or vice versa. The vegetation is mostly deciduous with Guanacaste, oak, guirisiña, granadillo (Rhamnus alaternus), mango, chicozapote, hierba de cancer (Cuphea procumbens) and others dominating. Wildlife includes deer, armadillos, rabbits, eagles, quail and mimus .

Köppen Classification: Tropical Savanna Climate

Tropical savanna climates have monthly mean temperature above 18°C (64°F) in every month of the year and typically a pronounced dry season, with the driest month having precipitation less than 60mm (2.36 in) of precipitation. In essence, a tropical savanna climate tends to either see less rainfall than a tropical monsoon climate or have more pronounced dry seasons than a tropical monsoon climate. Tropical savanna climates are most commonly found in Africa, Asia and South America. The climate is also prevalent in sections of Central America, northern Australia and North America, specifically in sections of Mexico and the state of Florida in the United States.

The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Aw". (Tropical Savanna Climate).

The average temperature for the year in Tehuantepec is 83.1°F (28.4°C). The warmest month, on average, is May with an average temperature of 86.0°F (30°C). The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of 79.7°F (26.5°C).

The highest recorded temperature in Tehuantepec is 112.1°F (44.5°C), which was recorded in June. The lowest recorded temperature in Tehuantepec is 51.8°F (11°C), which was recorded in January.

The average amount of precipitation for the year in Tehuantepec is 34.9" (886.5 mm). The month with the most precipitation on average is June with 9.1" (231.1 mm) of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is January with an average of 0.1" (2.5 mm). In terms of liquid precipitation, there are an average of 47.1 days of rain, with the most rain occurring in June with 11.3 days of rain, and the least rain occurring in January with 0.4 days of rain.

http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=920149&cityname=Tehuantepec%2C+Oaxaca%2C+Mexico&units=

Getting there and around

Get there

By plane – The quickest way to get from Mexico City to Santo Domingo Tehuantepec is to fly to Ixtepec and then take a bus or drive to Tehuantepec, which costs $2100 - $3400 and takes 3h 36m. The quickest flight from Mexico City Airport to Ixtepec Airport is the direct flight which takes 1h 45m.

By car – The distance between Mexico City and Santo Domingo Tehuantepec is 537 km. The road distance is 707.2 km and it takes around 8h 37m.

By bus – The cheapest way to get from Mexico City to Santo Domingo Tehuantepec is to bus via Oasis which costs $650 - $850. There are services departing from Mexico City TAPO and arriving at Tehuantepec via Acatitla and Salina Cruz. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 10h 53m.

https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Mexico-City/Santo-Domingo-Tehuantepec

Rideshare – Check out Blabla Car's carpooling service for rideshare options between Mexico City and the city you are visiting. A great option if you don't have a driver's license or want to avoid public transport.

Car Rental – To explore Mexico’s provincial towns and cities—including its beach locations and the scenery and attractions near them— consider renting a car for your visit. Having your own car will give you more flexibility than using public transport options and, in some cases, offer you access to places which are otherwise difficult to visit without the use of a car.

COVID19 – International entry into Mexico from United States

Allowed for: All visitors arriving by air. Mexico land borders are closed to non-essential travel

Restricted for: There are no current restrictions.

Get around

Local Buses – Local buses and mini-buses (combis or micros) are available locally for a fraction of the cost of a taxi around town. You need to speak Spanish to be able to ask for directions or ask the driver to tell you where to get off.

Taxis – Taxis in most of Mexico’s towns and cities are not metered, so agree your price before you get in. Taxi travel is very affordable in Mexico, in comparison to the USA, Canada and Europe, and so provides a viable means of public transportation in Mexico. Your hotel can arrange taxis for you; some post their rates on a board in the lobby; taxi hotel rates are usually higher than cabs you hail off the street. If you speak Spanish, you will have a distinct advantage and be able to negotiate a price with the driver.

Uber is expanding rapidly across Mexico and now offers services in cities across the country, including: Mexico City, Toluca, Cuernavaca, Puebla, Querétaro, León, Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosí, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Hermosillo, Tijuana, Mexicali, and Mérida. Uber has been adding Mexican cities to its network every year, check for availability when you arrive at your destination in Mexico.

Cabify and Didi are also developing and currently operate in cities including Mexico City, Toluca, Monterrey, Puebla, Querétaro and Tijuana. Check for availability in the city you are visiting.

These services offer people with smartphones a way to book a cab through a mobile app for a pre-agreed price. Fares are comparable with Sitio type cabs, and sometimes trade at a premium to this when local demand increases.

https://www.mexperience.com/transport/taxi-travel-in-mexico/#51

3. ECONOMY

GDP: 18,692 M MXN (2010, Tehuantepec-Salina Cruz metro area)

https://imco.org.mx/ciudades2010/ciudades/32_Tehuantepec.html

4. Industry characteristics

Twenty one percent of the working population is in agriculture and livestock. Principle crops include beans, corn, sorghum, sesame seed, melons, cucumbers, squash, peanuts and flowers. Livestock includes cattle, pigs and goats. The Union of Indigenous Communities of the Isthmus Region, a cooperative founded in 1982, assists in production and distribution of the local products, notably coffee, under a fair trade label.

Twenty five percent work in industry, mining and construction. Industry is limited to a water purification facility, an ice plant and one that processes calcium oxide (calidra). Limestone is mined as well. The most typical handcraft of the area is the traditional dress. There is also the production of ceramics especially for the kitchen as well as decorative items and toys.

Fifty one percent work in commerce, tourism and services. Most of the commerce serves local needs with some serving regional customers and tourists. There are two four-star hotels, one two star hotel and nine guesthouses. The municipality also has water parks and beaches.

Key project: The Interoceanic corridor socialization among the Tehuantepec Isthmus villages

Since August 12, officials from the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CIIT) have held "virtual assemblies" through various platforms with municipal authorities and residents of the municipalities of Santa María Petapa, San Pedro Comitancillo, San Juan Guichicovi and Santo Domingo Tehuantepec.

During these digital meetings, it has been sought to give a channel to the different problems that afflict the communities of influence of the Interoceanic Corridor, as well as to address the concerns of the inhabitants regarding this ambitious project of the federal government whose objectives are to detonate the development of demarcation with full respect for customs and traditions, and the internal norms of each community.

In the assemblies the particularities of each municipality are addressed, because although the area of influence covers 46 Oaxacan municipalities, not all have the same conflicts.

Santo Domingo Tehuantepec

During the virtual meeting with representatives of the Santo Domingo Tehuantepec community, they were explained the topography and track survey work that is being carried out on the railway section that goes from La Mata (municipality of Asunción Ixtaltepec) to Colonia Jordán ( in the municipality of Tehuantepec), as part of section 4 of the modernization of the railroad tracks of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

"In the work of clearing and movement of earth, and in relation to the houses that are attached to the traces of the road, it is sought not to affect the companions of the colony," said the specialist.

And he explained the rapprochement that is already in place with the ranchers in the area.

https://www.nvinoticias.com/nota/156972/con-asambleas-virtuales-socializan-el-interoceanico-con-comunidades-istmenas

5. Attractions

Temple and Ex-Convent of Santo Domingo in Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, Mexico

The park has an interactive classroom so that people can develop academic activities, audiovisual consultations and make self-taught materials for the consolidation of learning about ecology and the preservation of the environment. It also has an open-air forum, 25 dining rooms, children's play areas, jogging track, outdoor gym, walkers, artificial lake and an aviary.

https://siop.jalisco.gob.mx/prensa/galerias/377

Steel Tehuana

The monument to the Tehuana woman was made by the sculptor Miguel Hernández Urban, and it resembles a Tehuana with the large huipil (radiance) holding her olán petticoat in her hands as if dancing a son.

The sculpture has perforations in the shape of flowers that, with the reflection of the sun and artificial lights, simulate that the clothing of the steel Tehuana is full of floral decorations.

The Tehuana woman continues to be a symbol of admiration for being strong and determined, but above all for her incomparable bearing. Between magic and fantasy, to the sound of the “Sandunga” by the poet Máximo Ramón Ortiz, a sublime song that identifies Tehuanos from bed to grave.

https://matutinazo.com/2018/10/14/la-tehuana-acero-diez-anos-simbolo-tehuantepec

https://litinn.wordpress.com/2015/03/03/la-tehuana-de-acero

Guiengola Archeological Site

Guiengola is a Zapotec archeological site located 14 km (8.7 mi) north of Tehuantepec. The visible ruins are located between a hill and a river, each carries the name of Guiengola. The name means "large stone" in the local variant of the Zapotec language. There are two main tombs that have been excavated, and both seem to be family interment sites. Both have front chambers that are for religious idols, while the rear chambers are for the burial of important people. The site also has fortified walls, houses, ballgame fields, other tombs and a very large "palace" with remains of artificial ponds and terraces. In the center of the site are 2 plazas, one lower than the other, and 2 pyramids, one to the east and one to the west.

Guiengola is an isthmus Zapotec word that means "Piedra Grande" (Large Stone), from "guie", stone and "ngola", large or old.

The name Zapotec is an exonym coming from Nahuatl tzapotēcah (singular tzapotēcatl), which means "inhabitants of the place of sapote". The Zapotec referred to themselves by some variant of the term Be'ena'a, which means "The People."

The Zapotec civilization was a native prehispanic civilization that flourished in the Valley of Oaxaca of southern Mesoamerica. Archaeological evidence shows their culture goes back at least 2500 years. They left archaeological evidence at the ancient city of Monte Albán in the form of buildings, ball courts, magnificent tombs and grave goods including finely worked gold jewelry. Monte Albán was one of the first major cities in Mesoamerica and the center of a Zapotec state that dominated much of what we know of as the current state of Oaxaca.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guiengola

ASI ES ESTE INCREIBLE LUGAR, en Oaxaca, México

https://youtu.be/Z7Uz3D4bIX0

6. History

The full name of the city and municipality is Santo Domingo Tehuantepec. "Tehuantepec" comes from Nahuatl and has been generally regarded to mean "wild animal (tecuani) hill (tepec)". The name was given to the area by the Aztecs, purportedly because of the ferocity of the native Zapotec warriors they encountered there. The Zapotec name for the area is Guie-Ngola, or Large Hill/Rock, with the city name being Guisi’si Gui. Santo Domingo was added by Bartolomé de las Casas as he passed by in honor of the Dominican church was had already been established here. From pre Hispanic times, the settlement has been represented by an Aztec glyph, the earliest example of which comes from the Guevea Codex, also known as the Zapotec Codex. This glyph represents a hill with a jaguar, an ancient totem animal throughout MesoAmerica. Thus, the "wild animal" component of the hill's name may actually be related to a recognition of an ancient religious meeting site associated with the symbol of the jaguar. The Nahuatl word "tehuan" actually means "among the people" or "a gathering", i.e. a meeting place.

The hill is divided into sixty six parts and each part has a circle.

The archeology of the area around the city is little studied, in part because the main archeological sites are difficult to access and the climate of the southern Isthmus makes excavation work difficult. Much of the area's early cultural interactions are only speculated about but it is known there was contact with Teotihuacan, Tula, Monte Alban and later, Tenochtitlan. The Tehuantepec area in the very early Pre Classic period was on the periphery of the zone where the Olmecs had influence as is noted by artifacts. The area's initial importance was not as a center of a dominion but rather as part of a trade route which connected Central America with what is now central Mexico. Through its trade routes passed manta rays, jade, other precious stones, shells, sponges, gold, amber, salt, feathers, furs, cotton, spices, honey and cocoa. The main control point for this trade route in this area was mostly likely Lass Gui’e’e, according to recent excavations. This site has a history of at least 3500 years with Olmec and Chiapas-origin figures found in its oldest sections. This and the abundance of marine shells indicate that this site in the Cañada de Tehuantepec was the main axis of communication between the Oaxacan highlands the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and into Guatemala since early in Mesoamerican history.

The Zapotec kingdom of Zaachila expanded into the Tehuantepec area under Cosijoeza starting in 1487, pushing the native Huaves to the narrow coastal strips around the Tehuantepec lagoons. With this, the Zapotecs gained control of the salt deposits of the area, which was a valuable commodity. Tehuantepec became a second Zapotec capital. This dominion had relations with the Aztecs but did not pay tribute and controlled the trade route to Central America. The influence of this dominion extended west to Nexapa and along the coast to Tlapanatepec. Tequixixtlan and Xallapan were subordinate dominions, ruled by governors sent from Tehuantepec. Tehuantepec increased in importance as the original capital of Zaachila came under pressure from the Mixtecs and later from the Aztecs by the end of the 15th century. The Aztecs’ interest here was the control the trade route between the Mexican Plateau to Soconusco in Chiapas and into Guatemala. The Aztecs attacked Tehuantepec in 1496, and it was defended by an alliance of Mixtecs and Zapotecs. These two groups normally fought each other, but allied in the face of the foreign threat. This and the city's formidable defenses led to a seven-month siege under Aztec ruler Axayacatl. The next Aztec chief Ahuiztotl, decided to marry his daughter Coyolicatzin to the Zapotec king Cosijoeza. This ended the war.

At the time of the Conquest and for some time after, the area was dominated by three linguistic groups, Zapotec, Mixe and Chontal, which are unrelated. The Zapotecs occupied the area from the Sierra Madre del Sur and Xallapan up to Tehuantepec. The Chontales were found between Mazatlán and Tequixixtlan. The Mixes occupied the high mountain areas, centered in Utlatepec.

Cosijoeza's son Cosijopii became the ruler of Tehuantepec shortly before the arrival of the Spanish in 1518. Pedro de Alvarado made two incursions from the west in 1522 arriving to the Mixe area of Ultatepec and Xoconochco. Alvarado entered Tehuantepec again in 1524, subduing the local population in Tequixixtlan and Xallapan. However, many years would pass before the Spanish had full control of the area. After the Conquest, Cosijopii remained the head of the city, but subject to Spanish hegemony from 1521 until his death in 1563.

There is little information about the development of the Tehuantepec area during the colonial period, especially economically. However, one of the first colonial shipyards El Carbón, was established at the mouth of the Rover Tehuantepec. Timber was plentiful in the area, but other shipbuilding supplies had to be brought from Veracruz, on the Atlantic coast. The route up the navigable Coatzacoalcos River then on land to El Carbón to was the most straightforward route to the Pacific coast. This is the route that would later be proposed for a canal across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and was later followed by the Tehuantepec Railway. At the end of 1532, two ships were built to become part of the flotilla of Diego Hurtado de Mendoza but they wrecked on the coast of what is now Jalisco. More ships were built for exploration and trade along the coasts between California and Peru. Casaban and Junco (2020) give details of several of these ships from a document of 1535. However, soon after Hernán Cortés and other colonial authorities lost interest in the economic development of this area in favor of other areas. However, a main road called the Camino Real de Tehuantepec which connected it to other parts of what is now Oaxaca. The Spanish town of Tehuantepec was officially established by Dominican brothers Gregorio de Beteta and Bernardo de Alberquerer in 1538 and received a royal seal from Charles V in 1543. The church and monastery were constructed starting in 1544. By 1550, the city had forty nine neighborhoods.

Further development of the Tehuantepec area focused on the Camino Real or Royal Road of Tehuantepec, which was built to control newly conquered areas, facilitate the collection of tribute and for commerce. Along the road, ranches and haciendas were established that would regularize the commerce and give social and political unity to the area. This process would give rise to conflicts between hacienda owners and the indigenous peoples as possession of lands changed. In 1660, the indigenous rebelled against Spanish authorities. The rebellion ended in 1661 in part because Philip IV put the city under direct control of the Spanish crown and issued a pardon to the rebels.

In the mid 19th century, the United States pressured Mexico for transit rights across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, with the aim of building a road, railway or canal for the purpose of connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans for trade. Pressure was greatest during the Mexican–American War, when these transit rights were part of the first attempts at talks to end the war. However, this was not included in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. During negotiations for the Gadsden Purchase, the issue came up again but transit rights were again denied. Despite strong interests in the area, the U.S. Army never invaded Tehuantepec, even though troops had gone as far south as southern Veracruz. However, the war drained the south of the country of soldiers and lessened control from Mexico City. As a result, the Isthmus area rebelled against rule from the city of Oaxaca. In 1850, the first plan to separate the Tehuantepec area from Oaxaca took shape. The result was regaining of a certain amount of autonomy. A second attempt took place in 1853.

Tehuantepec gained municipal status in 1857 and town status in 1857. The Reform Laws secularized most of the lands of the Dominican order in the area.

Tehuantepec's "Golden Age" began in the early 20th century with the building and operation of the trans-Isthmus railroad, which then provided the shortest trade route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. At its height, the line carried fifty trains per day, making one of the busiest railways in history. The goods and travelers brought money to the town and it grew. However, the boom ended shortly thereafter with the completion of the Panama Canal in 1914. The Pan-American Highway came through the area in the middle of the 20th century, which connected it with the rest of Mexico and by extension all the Americas. Shortly after, a modern highway connecting it to the city of Oaxaca was constructed.

The southern Isthmus area of Tehuantepec and Juchitán have had sporadic bouts of unrest since the late 1960s, paralleling conflicts which were occurring in other parts of Mexico. This trend would continue from the 1970s to the 1990s, mostly focused on the activities of the Tehuantepec diocese under bishop Arturo Lona Reyes, who led from 1971 to his retirement in 2000. The Diocese of Tehuantepec was part of a movement to mobilize the poor and indigenous in the 1980s and 1990s, allied with other elements of the Catholic Church in Oaxaca, the CEDIPIO and others. This movement was based on the teachings of liberation theology. Bishop Arturo Lona was a strong supporter of the teachings of Vatican II calling for the creation of a "people’s church". The Oaxaca church was allied with Diocese of Chiapas under Bishop Samuel Ruiz. The pastoral style of these Oaxacan and Chiapas churches came to be known as the "pastoral indígena" or indigenous pastoral and was focused explicitly on working with the most marginalized segments of society. He instituted a health clinic just outside the city of Tehuantepec basic hospital facilities and the promotion of natural medicine with the training of local healers called curanderos. There is also an ecological center on the same site promoting recycling and organic fertilizer for the area's agriculture.

During the 1980s, the diocese faced violence by regional power-holders, with two serious assassination attempts in the years before Lona's retirement. The goal of these groups was to suppress further political activism similar to the Zapatista uprising in Chiapas. Attacks against Lona and allies would continue into the 1990s. Liberation theology remained center of the diocese while Lona remained bishop although it lost power in the 1990s as the country moved towards neoliberal policies as well as the Church's own gradual abandonment of liberation theology. Arturo Lona Reyes was one of the last of church leaders aligned with Liberation Theology.

The retirement of Bishop Arturo Lona Reyes drew about four thousand people, mostly native Zapotecs and Mixes. His work was recognized by the Archbishop of Oaxaca over 29 years in Tehuantepec. Lona Reyes retired from the official post but remained head of a religious group called the Iglesia Universal. The bishop stated that his "Opción por los Pobres" (Choice for the Poor) program which he heads would remain intact after he hands his resignation to the Vatican. In the "Church of the People" the offering consist of food and gifts brought by hundreds of indigenous. The bishop's sermons often contained references to those "excluded from the system," "community cooperatives" and "human rights." The current bishop of Tehuantepec is Oscar Armando Campos Cantreras.

The rail line that had been the source of Tehuantepec's boom in the early 20th century steadily declined over the remainder of the century. It and the rest in the country were privatized in 2001, but the 24 km nearest the city has become virtually abandoned with workstations dismantled and equipment sold off. This put a final end to the rail based economy of the city, especially in the Reoloteca neighborhood.

Since then, there have been several attempts to resurrect the line crossing the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The purpose of the project is to create a competitor to the overcrowded Panama Canal. It would be a rail line between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific at Tehuantepec, modernizing and extending existing rail lines. This type of project was initially proposed in 1980 again in 1997, 2006 and 2009. Versions of the project would have infrastructure built in Tehuantepec and in the nearby port of Salina Cruz. However, the project has not come to fruition with the main impediment being the large initial investment.

Despite an income of 100 million pesos a year, the municipality has had problems with bankruptcy and few works to show for the money in 2009. The municipal president was accused of embezzling the money, leaving the city with one of its worst crises in its history.

7. Other Information: the Tehuanas

The city's markets are dominated by women, known as Tehuanas, who make up nearly all of the buyers and sellers. Until the 1970s, there was a complete ban on men in this area, but this was relaxed at that time. Today still it is estimated that less than five percent of the people seen in the market are men. The historical reason for this is that traditionally women worked in the markets as men worked in the fields.

The dominance of women in the markets, and the city in general in the daytime, made the city an interest starting in the 19th century. The writings of French traveler and historian Brasseur de Bourbourg and later by Mexican educator José Vasconcelos described Tehuantepec as a matriarchial society. Later writings would go as far as stating that the birth of a daughter was cause for celebration and men turned over their wages over to women. This depiction of the women of Tehuantepec focused on three factors: their dominance in the markets; their unreserved manner, often ridiculing men publicly; and that they bathed partially nude in the local river.

In the early 20th century, painter Frida Kahlo (1907—1954) would adopt Tehuana traditional dress in solidarity with these women and depict Tehuana traditional dress in paintings such as Memory, the Heart. Much of the Tehuanas' dominance, however, seems to be limited today to the market and to household finances. They earn money primarily through commerce and have the right to use this income as they wish, regardless of what their husbands or other family members say. Men dominate municipal politics, however, in Tehuantepec and other areas in the southern Isthmus. Women may participate in strikes, protests and other political movements but do not generally hold positions of power such as municipal president or council member. Even when they do, they hold less powerful portfolios usually related to education and health.

The role model for Tehuana women was a woman by the name of Juana Cata Romero who lived in the late 19th and early 20th century. She began as a humble candy seller but would rise to become a local power broker and one of the most revered figures in the city. Romero rose to prominence by befriending a young soldier, then Lieutenant Colonel Porfirio Díaz. Díaz was charged with guarding the town against plots and rebellions by Conservatives during the Reform War. Juana Cata allied herself with Díaz's cause by signaling opportune times to attack Conservative forces. Juana would become head of Díaz's intelligence service as well as his lover for four decades, although both would marry others. The alliance would make Juana the richest and most powerful woman in Tehuantepec, owning various sugar and coconut plantations and even the Isthmus of Tehuantepec railroad was built to pass by her house.

Romero's house remains in Tehuantepec, which was the only two-story structure in the town when it was built. It was designed to look like a French chalet with north and west wings that come off of a circular entryway. The structure stands out from the surrounding 18th-century Spanish architecture around it.

8. Contact Information

City Mayor: Vilma Martínez Cortés

Phone number: +52 (55) 971 133 5953

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vilma-Mart%C3%ADnez-Cort%C3%A9s-403173386474493

Twitter: https://twitter.com/vilmamarcor

Website: http://www.municipiodesantodomingotehuantepec.gob.mx

Govt. Office Address: Avenida 5 de Mayo s/n, Centro, Santo Domingo Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, 70760