| The Zapotec
community of Santa Catarina Ixtepeji (elevation: 2,360 meters) is
one of the country's best-developed destinations lying 'off the
beaten path.'
Ixtepeji is one of the pioneers in rural tourism in
Oaxaca's Sierra
Juárez. Verdant pine-oak cloud forests dominate the landscape.
Community tourism is fairly new -- having started
in 1998. A visitor's center on Highway 175 has been constructed
at La Cumbre. The town of Santa Catarina Ixtepeji lies downhill,
and is the gateway to a 885-hectare reserve.
The following are just a few of the choice hikes recommended
by local guides.
LA CASCADA
A path winds through a pine-oak forest from La Cumbre to El Punto.
The forest is studded with blackberry gardens. The main attraction,
however, is the waterfall -- the 20-meter Palo Hueco cascada
which gives this hike its name.
PIEDRA PRIETA
From Rancho Cáscara, the hike begins by descending a narrow
path through oyamel, pine and oak forests. The outlook Peña
Piedra Prieta (2,840 meter) provides a great view of the Sierra.
PELAO CHIQUITO
There are two options to visit this scenic lookout (mirador).
If you are in good physical health, begin your hike from El Campamento.
If you're feeling less industrious, get a ride to Las Canoas to
begin the ascent. Pelao Chiquito (elevation 3,185 meters) has a
scenic vista of the oyamel and pine-oak forests.
EXCURSIONS
In the town of Santa Catarina Ixtepeji you will see the Santa Catarina
church built in the sixteenth century. Nearby is Las Animas with
lush plots of blackberries and a rural artesan community which make
traditional wooden mortars.
You can also visit the community of Yuvila, which has a chocolate
factory managed by a women's cooperative. |
