San Juan Bautista Cuicatlán

San Juan Bautista Cuicatlán is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 543.5 km². It is part of Cuicatlán District in the north of the Cañada Region.

San Juan Bautista Cuicatlán
Municipality and town
Motto: 
Tierra del Canto
San Juan Bautista Cuicatlán is located in Mexico
San Juan Bautista Cuicatlán
San Juan Bautista Cuicatlán
Location in Mexico
Coordinates: 17°48′N 96°57′W / 17.800°N 96.950°W / 17.800; -96.950
Country Mexico
StateOaxaca
Government
 • PresidentJorge Guerrero
Area
 • Total543.5 km2 (209.8 sq mi)
Elevation
620 m (2,030 ft)
Population
 (2005)
 • Total9,181
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central Standard Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (Central Daylight Time)
Area code236
Weaver in San Juan Bautista Cuicatlan

Demography edit

As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 9,181.[1]

Education edit

The education system in Cuicatlán consists solely of public schools. There are 12 pre-schools, 18 primary schools, two secondary schools, and one high school in the municipality of Cuicatlán. Four out of the 12 pre-schools are bilingual as well as two of the primary schools.

Culture edit

Cuicatlán hosts its patron saint festival (Saint John the Baptist) the 24th of June, with festivities occurring the entire week in the central park including dances, fireworks, rodeos, and basketball games. Other major fiestas include Day of the Dead (October 31 – November 2), Semana Santa (Easter), and Christmas.

Tourism edit

Located just outside the city center is the Cuicatlán Botanical Garden, which offers quaint trails that meander through a dry tropical forest. The Botanical Garden also offers gazebos and a kitchen for hosting events, and will house the Cuicatlán Archeological Museum, which is currently under construction.

Cuicatlán is neighbor to several ecotourism hot spots including San Jose De Chilar, Santiago Quiotepec, and Santa Maria Tecomovaca. These site offer green macaw sightseeing tours, guided nature walks, hiking, mountain biking, horseback ridings, kayaking, cabins, camp grounds, and ancient runes.

Food edit

Cuicatlán is home to the world-famous chilhuacle, or chili huatle pepper, which is in season only in late August and September.[2] Local people use this chili pepper to make typical dishes such as chile caldo. Other typical dishes of Cuicatlán include mole negro, mole rojo, salsa de chicatana (ants) which are only available during the early summer months.

References edit

  1. ^ "San Juan Bautista Cuicatlan". Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México. Instituto Nacional para el Federalismo y el Desarrollo Municipal. Archived from the original on December 2, 2006.
  2. ^ "Chilhuacle". Slow Food. Retrieved 7 October 2019.