Santa María Petapa

Santa María Petapa is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. It is part of the Juchitán District in the west of the Istmo de Tehuantepec region.

Santa María Petapa
"guigo daa" or "guego daa" (Zapoteca);
"petlal" "pan" (Nahuatl).
Municipality and town
Santa María Petapa is located in Mexico
Santa María Petapa
Santa María Petapa
Location in Mexico
Coordinates: 16°49′N 95°7′W
Country Mexico
StateOaxaca
Area
 • Total145.44 km2 (56.15 sq mi)
Elevation
260 m (850 ft)
Population
 (2005)
 • Total15,387
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central Standard Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (Central Daylight Time)

Name

The name comes from the Zapotec language words meaning "four winds". The town was given this name in 1525.[1]

After Espiritu Santu (now Coatzacoalcos) it is the oldest Spanish town in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.[2] Guigo or guego and petlatl means "river" and daa or petlatl means petate. It is original name of Petapa.

Geography

The town is located on a plain, bounded to the north and west by high mountains.[2] It is at an elevation of 260 meters above sea level. The municipality covers an area of 145.44 km². The land is irrigated by the Petapa River. The climate is warm and humid, with abundant rainfall in the spring, summer and autumn.

Flora and fauna

The forests contain oak, mahogany, cedar, guaiac, rosewood, spring, Nopo, mamey, avocado, pine and cedar. Wild fauna include Toucan, boar, deer, tepeizcuinte, coyote, raccoon, armadillo and skunk.[1]

Demographics

The church of Our Lady of the Assumption was built in the sixteenth century.[3] An 1852 description said the town had once contained a population of 5,000 but had by that time been reduced to 1,300.[2]

As of 2005, the municipality had 3,476 households with a total population of 13,867 of which 3,294 spoke an indigenous language.

Economy

The main economic activity is agriculture, with crops of corn, beans, coffee and vegetables. Animal husbandry is also important, including cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, horses and poultry. Logging is also practiced, with fine wood marketed for furniture manufacturing.[1]

References
  1. "Santa María Petapa". Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México. Instituto Nacional para el Federalismo y el Desarrollo Municipal. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  2. John Jay Williams (1852). The isthmus of Tehuantepec: being the results of a survey for a railroad to connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, made by the scientific commission under the direction of Major J.G. Barnard, U.S. engineers. With a résumé of the geology, climate, local geography, productive industry, fauna and . D. Appleton & Company. p. 243.
  3. Erick OSORIO CASAS (2009-08-14). "Santa María Petapa, una fiesta de más de 400 años". el IMPARCIAL (in Spanish). Retrieved 2010-07-15.
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