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Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico
Introduction to Los Tuxtlas
Introduction to Los Tuxtlas
Sierra de Los Tuxtlas:
The Sierra is the volcanic massif centered on Catemaco, bordering
on the Gulf of Mexico and encompassing the gulf coast and inland
terrain of the volcanoes San Martin Tuxtla, Santa Marta, San Martin
Pajapan and El Vigia from roughly 100 meters to 1737 meters above
sea level.
Geography:
The region includes hundreds of volcanoes and their slopes to inland
rivers all ultimately leading to the Gulf of Mexico. Most of the
population centers are in the 200 to 500 meter range. A handful of
volcanoes reach above 1000 meters, with Volcano San Martin Tuxtla
topping out at 1737 meters.
Hydrology:
Most of the Tuxtlas are considered part of the Rio Papaloapan river
basin, the southernmost section is part of the Rio Coatzacoalcos river
basin. 500 kilometers of rivers and streams riddled with rapids and
waterfalls crisscross the region with only the rivers forming the
borders of Los Tuxtlas being barely navigable.
Political:
Although formerly known politically as "La Selva", and at present as
"Los Tuxtlas" and "Olmecas", the names have no political
representation. The 9 municipios (counties) of Angel R. Cabada,
Santiago Tuxtla, San Andres Tuxtla, Catemaco, San Pedro Soteapan,
Tatahuicapan de Juarez, Mecayapan, Pajapan and Hueyapan de
Ocampo are considered the heart of Los Tuxtlas. The area is a
hodgepodge of Mexican federal and state districts and has no
cohesive representation. The latest electoral redistricting threw in
some more counties into Los Tuxtlas.
Biosfera Los Tuxtlas:
After almost 100 years of naturalists clamoring for protection of Los
Tuxtlas, it was only in 1989, when most of the habitat was altered, for
Mexico to begin to convert some of the area into a federally protected
preserve, culminating in the creation in 1998 of "La Reserva de la
Biosfera Los Tuxtlas".
The Biosfera occupies mostly the coastal and higher elevations of the
Sierra de los Tuxtlas, including parts of all the above counties except
Hueyapan, bypassing most of the major settlements and including the
surroundings of volcanoes San Martin, Santa Marta, S.M. Pajapan and
their attendant coastal area. It includes Laguna Sontecomapan, but not
Laguna Catemaco.
San Andres Tuxtla, Santiago Tuxtla and Catemaco:
These three counties, which share common history traditions and
vicinity of Volcano San Martin, usually refer to themselves as Los
Tuxtlas and ignore the rest of the area. That status was recently
fortified with the creation of the zone "Los Tuxtlas" and throwing most
of the remaining plus other counties into "Los Olmecas.
Population:
383,461 inhabitants occupy the nine counties as of the 2000 census,
including app. 58,000 native language speakers. Ethnic composition is
primarily Mestizo, with only an insignificant number of foreigners.
History:
Sample drill cores from surrounding lakes date Los Tuxtlas occupation
to 7000 years. Olmecs are alleged to have founded the beginnings of
Mesoamerican civilization in the Tuxtlas region, beginning app 1700
BC. When Los Tuxtlas is referred to as the Olmec homeland, that
homeland includes everything mentioned above, plus parts of
Tabasco state.
A civilization influenced by the Mexican Tenochtitlan empire has also
been documented in Los Tuxtlas, with a settlement of 50,000 near
Catemaco between 200 and 1000 AD. Aztecs conquered most of the
area in the late 15th century. Spain´s colonization founded its first
presence in Los Tuxtlas with a settlement near Santiago Tuxtla in
1524.
Fauna & Flora
Despite its record of recent environmental destruction, Los Tuxtlas still
contain a significant number of endemic species, possibly caused by
its isolated environment and climatic variety.
Tourism:
Except for the major cities, Los Tuxtlas are in the touristic stone age.
Large parts of its terrain are almost inaccessible and touristic
infrastructure, except for some recently constructed ecological huts,
is non existent.
Other considerations:
The northernmost parts of Los Tuxtlas are part of the Llanura de
Sotavento. The southern parts are known as Sierra de Soteapan, or
the Sierra de Santa Marta with a subregion known as the Serrania de
Bastonal . The southern section of Los Tuxtlas is considered part of
the Tehuantepec Isthmus.
.
The Sierra is the volcanic massif centered on Catemaco, bordering
on the Gulf of Mexico and encompassing the gulf coast and inland
terrain of the volcanoes San Martin Tuxtla, Santa Marta, San Martin
Pajapan and El Vigia from roughly 100 meters to 1737 meters above
sea level.
Geography:
The region includes hundreds of volcanoes and their slopes to inland
rivers all ultimately leading to the Gulf of Mexico. Most of the
population centers are in the 200 to 500 meter range. A handful of
volcanoes reach above 1000 meters, with Volcano San Martin Tuxtla
topping out at 1737 meters.
Hydrology:
Most of the Tuxtlas are considered part of the Rio Papaloapan river
basin, the southernmost section is part of the Rio Coatzacoalcos river
basin. 500 kilometers of rivers and streams riddled with rapids and
waterfalls crisscross the region with only the rivers forming the
borders of Los Tuxtlas being barely navigable.
Political:
Although formerly known politically as "La Selva", and at present as
"Los Tuxtlas" and "Olmecas", the names have no political
representation. The 9 municipios (counties) of Angel R. Cabada,
Santiago Tuxtla, San Andres Tuxtla, Catemaco, San Pedro Soteapan,
Tatahuicapan de Juarez, Mecayapan, Pajapan and Hueyapan de
Ocampo are considered the heart of Los Tuxtlas. The area is a
hodgepodge of Mexican federal and state districts and has no
cohesive representation. The latest electoral redistricting threw in
some more counties into Los Tuxtlas.
Biosfera Los Tuxtlas:
After almost 100 years of naturalists clamoring for protection of Los
Tuxtlas, it was only in 1989, when most of the habitat was altered, for
Mexico to begin to convert some of the area into a federally protected
preserve, culminating in the creation in 1998 of "La Reserva de la
Biosfera Los Tuxtlas".
The Biosfera occupies mostly the coastal and higher elevations of the
Sierra de los Tuxtlas, including parts of all the above counties except
Hueyapan, bypassing most of the major settlements and including the
surroundings of volcanoes San Martin, Santa Marta, S.M. Pajapan and
their attendant coastal area. It includes Laguna Sontecomapan, but not
Laguna Catemaco.
San Andres Tuxtla, Santiago Tuxtla and Catemaco:
These three counties, which share common history traditions and
vicinity of Volcano San Martin, usually refer to themselves as Los
Tuxtlas and ignore the rest of the area. That status was recently
fortified with the creation of the zone "Los Tuxtlas" and throwing most
of the remaining plus other counties into "Los Olmecas.
Population:
383,461 inhabitants occupy the nine counties as of the 2000 census,
including app. 58,000 native language speakers. Ethnic composition is
primarily Mestizo, with only an insignificant number of foreigners.
History:
Sample drill cores from surrounding lakes date Los Tuxtlas occupation
to 7000 years. Olmecs are alleged to have founded the beginnings of
Mesoamerican civilization in the Tuxtlas region, beginning app 1700
BC. When Los Tuxtlas is referred to as the Olmec homeland, that
homeland includes everything mentioned above, plus parts of
Tabasco state.
A civilization influenced by the Mexican Tenochtitlan empire has also
been documented in Los Tuxtlas, with a settlement of 50,000 near
Catemaco between 200 and 1000 AD. Aztecs conquered most of the
area in the late 15th century. Spain´s colonization founded its first
presence in Los Tuxtlas with a settlement near Santiago Tuxtla in
1524.
Fauna & Flora
Despite its record of recent environmental destruction, Los Tuxtlas still
contain a significant number of endemic species, possibly caused by
its isolated environment and climatic variety.
Tourism:
Except for the major cities, Los Tuxtlas are in the touristic stone age.
Large parts of its terrain are almost inaccessible and touristic
infrastructure, except for some recently constructed ecological huts,
is non existent.
Other considerations:
The northernmost parts of Los Tuxtlas are part of the Llanura de
Sotavento. The southern parts are known as Sierra de Soteapan, or
the Sierra de Santa Marta with a subregion known as the Serrania de
Bastonal . The southern section of Los Tuxtlas is considered part of
the Tehuantepec Isthmus.
.
Los Tuxtlas is an area of volcanic mountains disrupting the plains in front of the Sierra Madre, in the south
central coastal region of the state of Veracruz, in east central Mexico, and including the furthest northern
American extension of jungle habitat and rain forest and its attendant flora and fauna
Except for an elevated land ridge near southerly Acayucan, the region is almost an island, surrounded by
the waters of the Gulf of Mexico to the north and west, Laguna Alvarado and Rio San Juan to the west
and south, and Laguna del Ostion and westernmost tributaries of Rio Coatzacoalcos to the east and south.
central coastal region of the state of Veracruz, in east central Mexico, and including the furthest northern
American extension of jungle habitat and rain forest and its attendant flora and fauna
Except for an elevated land ridge near southerly Acayucan, the region is almost an island, surrounded by
the waters of the Gulf of Mexico to the north and west, Laguna Alvarado and Rio San Juan to the west
and south, and Laguna del Ostion and westernmost tributaries of Rio Coatzacoalcos to the east and south.
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