The Oaxacan Coast has been around for a long time. For more than three thousand years prior to the Spanish Invasion in 1521, the villages of the coast flourished at the southernmost tip of what is now the state of Oaxaca. Down to the foot of the mountains from the north, past the tropical forest and into the valley below to the sleepy little villages that sit on the edge of the beautiful turquoise-tinted Pacific Ocean they came and settled the area.

The small coastal villages lay nestled on the beach between the pristine fertility of the land and the abundance of fish, lobster, and turtles of the ocean. They planted crops of beans, chilies, corn, gourds, pumpkin, squash, and tomatoes. They eked out a living harvesting the coconuts, pineapples, and avocados that grew wild in the valley.

There was an abundance of meat available in the deer, armadillo, iguana, turkey and other fowl. Fishing became an honored occupation, as the ocean was a constant supply of nourishment.

Besides the fruit of the coconut, the palm trees leaves were used to build thatch shelters; mats for sleeping, floor coverings, and hangings; baskets to store grains; straw hats to shade the inhabitants from the tropical sun. The skins of the deer, jaguar, jabali, and tigrillo were used to keep out the cool breeze of the Pacific ocean at night and often for ceremonial dress.

The villages consisted mainly of Zapotecs, whose land reached from the Sierra Norte Valley to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The Zapotecs were astronomers and builders. They were the builders of Monte Alban and other important sites in the area, such as Dainzu, Guiéngola, Lambityeco, Mitla, Yagul, Zaachila, all in various stages of excavation and restoration today as well as many more unexplored sites throughout the region. The Zapotec village of Teotitlán del Valle near the city of Oaxaca is world-renowned for the exquisite hand-woven wool tapestries produced there and is one of the oldest human settlements in México.

Around the Thirteenth Century AD, the Mixtecs invaded the Central Valley, conquering the Zapotecs. The Mixtecs altered the language and customs of the area but they never attained the numbers or the influence of the Zapotecs. The Mixtecs were more interested in the land than the sleepy little beach villages and thus the inhabitants of the Oaxacan Coast continued to live as they had for the prior thousand years.

From the abundant nopal cactus they carefully harvested the cochineal, a tiny insect, from which they extracted the most precious red dye. From the many small snails found in the coves off of the Pacific they secreted a unique and majestic purple dye, before carefully returning them to produce yet more dye for the future. These dyes are still used today in the many textile products produced in the region.

Cotton, both white and the naturally tan coyuchi is native to the region and is farmed extensively. The cotton is spun into thread using a malacate – a slender rod – then handwoven on a backstrap loom into fine textile items. The maguey provided a thorn at the tips of its leaves, which is fashioned into a needle to sew the textile items and embroider them with delicate designs of thread dyed with the caracol, cochineal, anil, and other native plants.

The maguey also provided the fiber to make ropes, hammocks and coarse fabric to make bags and other items. From the heart of the maguey they produced the unfermented pulque, which is a delicacy enjoyed by natives and tourists alike. The powerful mescal is made from the fermented heart of the maguey, which they consider a gift of God, for helping them abandon the troubles of the day.

They made home remedies from the thousands of plants native to the area, although the maladies were few. Epidemics, measles, and even venereal diseases were unknown here until the Spanish Conquest. The Oaxacan Coast was a healthy society, living quietly and peacefully on the fertile land and sea.

Nearby Huatulco and Puerto Angel, as well as a few larger villages became increasingly important to the commercial trade routes from Central and South America. Ships with trade items begin arriving and these ports were quite busy with shipments being transported to the north, where the residents of Mexico City and other distant markets eagerly awaited the riches of these other countries.

This was a way of life for thousands of years.

The Oaxacan Coast was for years the source for turtle eggs and meat. The local residents made a living for many years capturing and processing the turtles that came to the beach to lay their eggs. The sleepy little Mazunte is one of the primary beaches where the turtles lay their eggs and the turtle processing house still stands, although abandoned.

By the late 1980's the turtle population had dwindled to almost nothing and the turtle fishermen were losing their livelihood. Fortunately, the Mexican government stepped in and outlawed the capture of turtles and their eggs in 1990. The next year the government created the National Mexican Turtle Center in Mazunte where all the varieties of turtles residing in Mexican coastal waters are on exhibit. Six of the world's seven ocean turtles live on Mexico's beaches and all are here at the museum.

The government did nothing though to protect the local villagers when they lost their livelihood.Without their ability to harvest the turtles much of the local population turned to farming for survival, and in the process destroyed much of the bird habitat in the area.

In 1993, Anita Roddick, the founder of The Body Shop visited the area. Heavily interested in ecotourism, reforestation and organic agriculture, her idea was to help the ex-turtle hunters take advantage of the ecotourism. Today the ex-turtle hunters and villagers who use locally grown and cultivated products that help to stimulate the sustainable agriculture of the area own the cosmetics business. Roddick helped put together a group of 15 families from Mazunte and helped found the cooperative. She arranged for her chemist, David Hitchen to visit the cooperative in 1996 and 1997 to oversee the creation of formulas for shampoo, hair conditioner, moisturizing cream and various oils. The products are manufactured and sold in Mazunte as well as in other Body Shop locations worldwide. The products are made out of maize, coconut, sesame seeds, avocado. Also have organic coffee & mosquito repellents for sale. The Natural Cosmetics Factory and store is definitely a worthwhile project to support. The cosmetics factory is located on the main street of Mazunte. You can't miss it as there is only one main street in Mazunte.

The area has now been declared a Reserva Ecologica Campesina (Ecological Conservation Area) and is slowly recovering. The purpose of the Reserva Ecologica Campesina is to preserve the local environment while at the same time maintaining a sustainable lifestyle. Nutritional education and recycling through trash separation are being pursued, as well as tourist oriented projects of an ecological nature. The local fishermen will take you out to sea to swim with the huge turtles and dolphins. Whale sightings are not uncommon and will often come within yards of the small boats to great the tourists with a giant spray of water from their blowhole.

The Oaxacan Coast is not Cancun! There are no high rises, no chain hotels, nor fast food restaurants. The area is known for its simplicity and charm, with small boutique hotels of 10 rooms or less and small family run restaurants serving fresh fish, octopus and shrimp caught each morning in the Pacific by local fishermen in the small boats.

Expect to dress down, grab a cold beer and lay in a hammock watching the many beautiful birds hover overhead, while you listen to the pounding surf on the sun-drenched pink-tinted beach.