By Deborah Van Hoewyk

Outdoor adventures in Huatulco? There are many, many, many! Swim, boogie board, surf, or paddleboard at the beaches; float through an alligator-filled swamp in sun-dappled mangrove shade or down the Rio Copalita by moonlight; bump along rural tracks to the waterfalls; go snorkeling, deep-sea fishing, or whalewatching; birdwatch and release baby turtles – just name it, you can get some exercise and explore the natural environment here, no problem.

Oaxaca, however, offers outdoor adventures beyond Huatulco and way beyond a tarde deportiva (sporting afternoon). Among the very best of such adventures is Los Pueblos Mancomunados, a cooperative of eight Zapotec villages high in the Sierra Norte mountains northeast of Oaxaca City.

Los Pueblos Mancomunados

Literally, Los Pueblos Mancomunados means “the joint towns,” but a better translation might be “Commonwealth of Villages.” About thirty years ago, the national Tourism Secretariat, working through state tourism agencies, undertook a program to set up rural ecotourism centers to create jobs and new income streams in the region.

Some of the villages that are now part of the group had already had similar ideas. Starting with the village of Benito Juárez, the most accessible from Oaxaca City, three villages developed a collaborative ecotourism plan in which the activities the towns conducted – both in collaboration and individually – would benefit all the villages. It started small, with forest walks around Benito Juárez and trail-walks to the villages of La Nevería and San Antonio Cuajimoloyas. Visitors were allowed to pay whatever they wished.

Collaboration is a way of life familiar to the indigenous Zapotecs of these mountain villages, often called la gente de las nubes (the people of the clouds) – some of the trails among them have been there for 400 years. The people govern themselves by usos y costumbres, or traditional indigenous customary law, which organizes how all members participate in the work of running their community (see “Governing Oaxaca: The Frontier between the Traditional and the Modern,” The Eye, May-June 2014). Usos y costumbres can be selected as an alternative form of local self-governance by indigenous villages; it has been legally recognized by 417 of Oaxaca’s 570 municipios (a municipio is roughly equivalent to a U.S. or Canadian county) since 1992.

Five more towns have joined the Pueblos Mancomunados; San Miguel Amatlán, Santa Martha Latuvi, San Isidro Llano Grande, Santa Catarina Lachatao, and Santa María Yavesía. Altogether, the eight villages have about 2,400 residents, and cover 24,932 hectares (about 61,608 acres); and the altitude ranges from 100 to 3,300 meters (± 300-10,000 ft). There are over 2,000 species of trees and plants – the “cloudy forests” near the peaks are the largest virgin forests north of the Andes. There are more than 400 species of birds, 350 kinds of butterflies, and wildlife that includes jaguars, ocelots, and other wild felines, along with deer, foxes, and more.

How To Visit the Pueblos Mancomunados

While it is possible to reach any of the pueblos on your own via public transportation and hiking, and you can then make arrangements for activities in the village, it will be difficult, especially if your Spanish is minimal. You will no doubt be better off contacting Expediciones Sierra Norte, a nonprofit organized in 1998 and operated jointly with the Pueblos Mancomunados. Sierra Norte Expeditions is a particular type of nonprofit, a sociedad de solidaridad social (social solidarity society); this class of organizations, established by law in 1976, uses “collective assets to carry out commercial activities” among marginalized Mexican communities.

Sierra Norte Expeditions specializes in setting up hiking/biking itineraries on the trails among the pueblos. They arrange local guides, and maintain a list of the other activities provided in each local village, and can arrange them for you. If you are in Oaxaca anyway, go their office and discuss what you’d like to do.

There are also independent tour companies that arrange itineraries, including horse- and by bike-packing – you can find them by googling, but for most things they need to book with Sierra Norte anyway. Sierra Norte returns 90% of the income from the tourism activities to the villages.

Trails of the Pueblos Mancomunados

Hiking. Sierra Norte Expeditions will organize a hike of any length on trails that run between six villages: San Miguel Amatlán, Santa Martha Latuvi, La Nevería, Benito Juárez, San Antonio Cuajimoloyas, and San Isidro Llano Grande. To hike the entire length takes seven days and six nights (you stay in “comfortable cabins with chimney” – bring your socks and sweaters!). Transportation to and from the mountain starting place, local guides, meals, “local experiences” (these vary by village – see below), and insurance are all included. If you need to have your luggage carried from village to village, that’s extra. At the time this was written, the cost of the pre-set paquete, or package, to hike all six pueblos was $9,450 MXN ($566.30 USD, $763.63 CAD), double occupancy, minimum of 4 people, maximum 12. There are two paquetes of 2 days, 1 night, and a one-day hike; you can, however, arrange a custom hike to include different pueblos. It should be noted that Mexicans run on mountain trails (see “Lorena Ramírez: Top Runner of the Rarámuri,” The Eye, March 2024) – you are free to do likewise.

Horseback riding. Sierra Norte does not have pre-set paquetes for doing the trails on horseback, but horses are available in most of the villages – for this kind of experience, you can look on the Sierra Norte website under nuestros centros ecoturisticos, which sends you to the individual pueblos. In San Isidro Latuvi, you ride to San Miguel Amatlán; if you are not an experienced rider and would prefer not to ride on steep, narrow trails, you can ride half way to Amatlán and hike the rest. For a description of an independent tour by Horseback Mexico: http://www.horsebackmexico.com/rides-2/multiday-rides/ride-the-continental-divide/.

Biking. Making bike-packing arrangements works pretty much the same way as making hiking arrangements, although again, Sierra Norte does not have any pre-set paquetes. However, all of the trails can be done on mountain bikes, and you can arrange a cabin or bring your tent for overnights. For a great description of biking the pueblos:
http://www.stilloutriding.com/2022/11/benito-juarez-and-the-pueblos-mancomunados/.

Village Activities

The six villages included on Sierra Norte trail paquetes have local ecotourism centers where you can add on activities after you have arrived – the price will be the same as if you had arranged it in advance.

Benito Juárez. This pueblo is located in the mountain forest about an hour and a half from Oaxaca City. It has a mirador (viewpoint) that looks out over the Central Valleys, a 150-meter suspension bridge, and three zip lines. You can visit a couple of farms and trout nurseries, and hike, bike, or horseback on the surrounding trails. There are cabins, camping areas, and comedores (family restaurants). There are several community projects to visit or participate in: bread baking, other food workshops, mushroom production, and research on medicinal properties of native plants.

La Nevería (Latzi Belli in Zapotec). Located in a small valley, La Nevería has only about 100 inhabitants. It is called La Nevería because a century or so ago, the people produced ice and transported it by donkey to sell in warmer parts of Oaxaca. There are trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. The community hosts a sietes colores del maiz (seven colors of corn) walk to visit their efforts to preserve native, i.e., non-GMO, corn varieties. You can also visit a “productive projects” route that shows off efforts to use local resources to create new income streams. There are cabins, homestays, camping, and a comedor (features a watercress special!), cooking classes, a zip line, and athletic obstacle course.

Santa Martha Latuvi.  Latuvi offers seven trails for hiking, biking or horseback riding, including a trail to El Molcajete waterfall and a trail that follows the historic route of the Camino Real, where Mexican muleteers brought goods from Veracruz to the Central Valleys.  You can visit two women who make pulque and tepache, eat in a comedor where you catch your own trout at the trout nursery, visit various projects to produce marmalade, make bread, and explain traditional medicine.  There are cabins (with hammocks on the porches), homestays, and camping areas. 

San Miguel Amatlán.  One of the larger pueblos, with just over a thousand inhabitants, Amatlán still has some vestiges of colonial architecture.  It is located on the Camino Real, and has a community museum (“Community Museums:  Very ‘Special Ed’ for Indigenous Peoples,” The Eye , Sept./Oct 2013).  Trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding; cabins, campsites, and a comedor. Workshops and project visits include mushroom farming, bread baking, women artisans, and traditional medicine.

San Isidro Llano Grande.  Founded early in the 1800s by people trying to escape the Mexican Revolution, Llano Grande is the highest of the Pueblos Mancomunados (3,300 meters, or over 10,800 feet at the highest mirador).  Located on a flat mountain-top and surrounded by forest, Llano Grande inhabitants are dedicated to preserving the forest.  Hiking and biking of course, birdwatching, and workshops in cooking, breadmaking, and tortilla making.  Cabins, camping, and comedores; one special treat is to learn the history and legends of the community by visiting “the elders.”

Santa Catarina Lachatao and Santa María Yavesía.  Although these last two villages are part of Pueblos Mancomunados, they do not have their own ecotourism centers.  Lachatao is a very old village, and a recently (2009) discovered archeological site indicates that this was an important Zapotec ritual site, as well as a key stop on trade routes from the north.  It has a community museum with archeological finds.  Yavesía is a small village, less than 450 people, and has lost population since the 2010 census.  Here are the headwaters of the Papaloapan River, which flows to the Atlantic through Veracruz.  There’s a roundtrip hiking trail to the Lotoa waterfall, a trail the Cave of the Virgin, and one to Lachatoa.   

Each of these villages, if you take time to talk with residents, offers more.  To get started on a plan to visit one, some, or all of the Pueblos Mancomunados, contact Expediciones Sierra Norte:

http://www.sierranorte.org.mx

 info@sierranorte.org.mx

Telephone:  +52 951 514 82 71

WhatsApp:  +52 1 951 226 8395.