By Marcia Chaiken and Jan Chaiken

Our annual drive from our home in Oregon to our condo in Huatulco included an approximately six-hour trip south and eastward from Pinotepa Nacional, a frankly unremarkable Oaxacan city bordering the State of Guerrero – a distance of about 255 kilometers (about 160 miles). Our route, National Highway 200, spanned all three districts of the region called Costa, Oaxaca – the districts of Jamiltepec, Juquila, and Pochutla.

Jamiltepec

After passing the State of Oaxaca boundary and replying to the uniformed heavily-armed border guards “no drogas, no frutas, no armas,” we navigated the always frustrating traffic in Pinotepa. The city is forgettable in terms of architecture and scenery, but once a year it comes alive with a fiesta of horses, bands, costumes and dancers that draws people from all over the Jamiltepec district.

We usually pulled over at an overlook outside of the city, with a view of the first of the many rivers we would cross en route. The Costa region is sandwiched between the southern Sierra Madre mountains and the Pacific Ocean. The mountains, northeast of our route, are home to coffee plantations and are the source of many rivers that cascade and form beautiful waterfalls throughout the northern Costa region. They flow out of the mountains, cutting across the Costa on their way to the sea. When they approach the Pacific, carrying nutritious silt from the uplands, the rivers enrich the long stretches of mangroves that host a plethora of birds, fish and other wildlife and separate the Costa sand beaches from the ocean. One of the largest rivers en route is the Rio Verde (Green River), close to an hour after our overlook, a beautiful sight at any time of day.

As we munched the lunch we had prepared before departing our last overnight stop, we watched the activity in and on the river that has been taking place for generations of Zapotecs and Mixtecs since long before the Spanish invaders arrived. Children playing, people bathing, washing clothes, fishing, and dipping out supplies of water for nearby gardens, cooking, cleaning and – a decidedly more modern activity – washing cars. This scene would be repeated along our trip, but the community we were viewing here at work and play are notable for the extent of their African ancestry. This part of the Costa region was previously home to runaway slaves who escaped the bondage imposed by Spanish colonialists. The colonialists imported sugar cane, pineapples, and coconuts and used African slave labor on their Costa region plantations.

Although the large plantations of the colonial era no longer exist, the route spanning the Costa is replete with [fields of pineapple plants, banana fields of pineapple plants, banana trees and sugar cane as well as crops native to the area – corn, squash and beans. Native shrubs and grasses are plentiful as well – cacti, yucca, and agave. Indigenous jacaranda trees and many species of morning glory provide colorful displays along the way, and coconut trees introduced by the Spanish dot the area.

Juquila

Continuing down Route 200 from the Jamiltepec to the Juquila district through small communities, we often see a donkey, pig, or dog in the road, announcing the first sign of habitation, soon followed by one or two topes (speed bumps). Local residents use the topes to sell food or drinks to the occupants of cars forced to slow down to avoid damaging the auto undercarriage. As you approach Juquila, you see fewer residents of African descent and more whose ancestors were the original Zapotecs, Mixtecs or the pre-Columbian Aztec invaders. The language in which we were offered the local fruits, corn products, or drinks was not Spanish but one of the more than 50 dialects of Mixtec or Zapotec spoken throughout the Costa Region. Schools proudly bear the sign Bilingüe, which in this region of Oaxaca means lessons are taught in one of the indigenous dialects as well as Spanish.

The primary landmark in the Juquila District is a sign saying Rio Grande – meaning both the community and the river, neither grande. Other than a Pemex station for a bathroom break costing a few pesos, we passed through the district counting topes (too many) and watching for the long pendulous nests of Montezuma Oropendola (Psarocolius montezuma) birds that hang over the road from tree branches, telephone poles and communication wires. Occasionally, red-belly squirrels scampered across the road and large iguanas would streak from one side to the other. Although signs meant to protect local fauna would feature the outline of an armadillo, and although they are indigenous in the area, we never were privileged to see one near the road. As we slowed down at topes, we were often treated to the songs and antics of the many varieties of birds that are native to the Costa or are on a migratory route.

Signs announcing the distance to Puerto Escondido alerted us that we were approaching the most interesting area of the Juquila District. The shoreline off Route 200 just a few kilometers from Puerto Escondido is replete with lagoons rich with wildlife. One of the lagoons is known for its bioluminescence. We once spent an enchanted evening boating and swimming in the lagoon, seemingly surrounded by stars above and stars below.

Puerto Escondido is worth a stop and a stay overnight. It is one of the newest municipalities in the Costa region and was originally settled in the early 1800s as a shipping port for coffee produced in the foothills of the Sierras in the northern area of the region. More advantageous ports replaced Puerto Escondido, and the municipality languished. In the 1960s it began to be developed as a tourist area, largely due to publicity about the “Mexican pipeline,” the famous surf break at Playa Zicatela, and the construction of Route 100. Today there are many excellent restaurants, some with views of the beaches and rocky coast, and comfortable and affordable places to stay. North of the town, up in the steep foothills, one can visit Santa Catarina and a sanctuary housing the 30-centimeter statue of the Virgin of Juquila, which has been venerated since the 16th century. Thousands of pilgrims visit the site every year.

Pochutla

Continuing southeast from “Puerto,” given the great improvements in Route 200, one soon reaches the Costa district of Pochutla, and for us our home district. Each kilometer of the highway and side roads evokes precious memories. The turnoff toward Mazunte brings memories of visits to the turtle sanctuary, with tanks of the babies saved from predatory animals including humans. We have visited the nearby area of Ventanilla, boating through the mangroves with arms, hands and fingers always held inside the boat to avoid losing one to the many crocodiles while watching the glorious water birds. The next notable turnoff to Zipolite always brings a smile. Zipolite is the only officially designated nude beach in Mexico and attracts an international crowd of tourists.

Arriving at San Pedro Pochutla reminds us of market days (Mondays) and many Sunday afternoons with groups of friends in the original Finca de Los Vaqueros barbeque restaurant, singing to guitar music and watching our young grandchildren devour delicious arrachera. Driving north from Pochutla was our original route to Oaxaca City, now replaced by the new highway out of Puerto Escondido. The roads out of Pochutla also lead to the Hagia Sofia Park, developed a few decades ago to introduce species native to Asia, such as rambutan trees, to the Costa. Also north of Pochutla is Pluma Hidalgo, a small community serving workers on the surrounding coffee plantations. The beauty of this area never failed to charm us.

Driving south from Pochutla to Puerto Ángel, we shopped for handicrafts, including a matrimonial-size hammock that was well-used for many years. Down the road to the west is San Agustinillo, a laid-back small community that provides a relaxing life for short-term visitors and long-term expats. Although Eye writer Carol Reedy moved from there to CDMX, she is still remembered for starting the community’s library.

Continuing east on Route 200 and passing the turnoff to Cuatunalco and Salchi, small upscale villages loved by Canadian snowbirds and one well-known US ex-pat, we can’t wait to pass the road to Playa San Augustín – on the western-most bay of the nine Bahías de Huatulco – and one of the best places in the world to snorkel. At the San Augustín intersection, a road heads north into the foothills city of Santa María Huatulco. Since Santa María is home to administrative offices for the municipalities encompassed in and around Huatulco, we’ve spent many hours there filling out government forms. We’ve also participated in Day of the Dead observances in the large municipal cemetery, hearing stories about beloved relatives buried there.

Soon after the San Augustín-Santa María Huatulco intersection, marked by a very broad tope, is the entrance to the Bahías de Huatulco International Airport (HUX) and less than 15 miles down the road, the entrance to the University of the Sea (UMAR). Finally, and almost immediately after UMAR, is the road to Huatulco.

We’re home at last, following in the footsteps of the original indigenous Mixtecs and Zapotecs who for generations peacefully fished the bountiful waters of Huatulco’s stunning blue-green bays. They were invaded by the Aztecs and then Spanish colonists who saw Huatulco as a perfect port. Later, German immigrants and other coffee-growers and exporters claimed the Bays as their rightful territory for a while. But in 1983, FONATUR (the Mexican Federal agency in charge of promoting tourism) began outfitting the area with infrastructure for tourists, attracting visitors from around the world to enjoy the colorful fish-filled bays, long white beaches and warm weather of the Costa Region paradise.