| Ten kilometers west of Puerto
Escondido is Oaxaca's Laguna de Manialtepec, a lush mangrove.
In the Náhuatl
language of the Aztecs
the name Manialtepec comes from the words manine (an animal
that crawls) and tepetl (place); thus, 'manialtepec' is interpreted
as 'the place of lizards.'
The lagoon is approximately six kilometers long and
has small beach areas. It is a beautiful place to kayak.
During the rainy season, the river breaks through
its sandbar and the lagoon becomes a tidal estuary.
BIRD WATCHING
The tropical ecosystem attract numerous bird species, including cormorant,
anhinga, herons, (including great blue, little blue, and black-crowned
night heron), ibis, parrots, egrets, ducks, and jacanas (lily walkers). |
