Costa Region

The **Costa Region** or **Costa Chica** lees on the Paceefic coast o the state o Oaxaca, Mexico, sooth o the mair muntainous Sierra Sur inland frae the coast. It includes the destricts o Jamiltepec, Juquila an Pochutla

## Climate

The region haes a wairm subhumid climate in the coastal plain, wi a mair temperate climate heicher up.  
Average temperatures range atween , an maximum annual rainfaw is atween 
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## Economy

The population is mainly engagit in agricultur an watterfront fisheries. 
Ane o the best coffees in the warld, the Pluma Hidalgo, is cultivatit in the Pochutla destrict.  
In ither pairts o the region lemons are grown tae mak lemon ile, a raw material for perfumes an medicines.
Pine an aik firth is harvestit for plywid. 
Ranchin is a major soorce o revenue. 
Thare is sma-scale exploitation o iron, capper an magnesium an aw, an the region haes titanium deposits.

It is a tourist region, based on the beaches o Huatulco an Puerto Escondido.
Tae develop this industry, the govrenment haes emphasisit construction o airports, ports an tourist roads.

## People

Historically the region haes been teed culturally an economically wi the Costa Chica in the state o Guerrero an wi Acapulco in pairticular, raither than wi the ceety o Oaxaca.  
The raisons are that the coasts o Oaxaca an Guerrero states share a common history, an the Federal Heich-gate 200 connects the coasts o baith states.

The population includes mestizos, Mixtec, Amuzgo, Chatinos, Chontal an Zapotec.
Escapin slavery, mony Africans came here tae settle in this region, whilk at the time wis isolatit an relatively inhospitable. Mibbe for this raison, the region is weel kent for its unthirlt streak an joy o life.
The famous Oaxacan troubadour Álvaro Carrillo wis born in San Juan Cacahuatepec.

Important touns or municipalities include: Pinotepa Nacional, Pochutla, Puerto Escondido, Puerto Ángel, Santa Catarina Juquila, Santa María Huatulco, Jamiltepec, Tututepec, Pinotepa de Don Luis, San Juan Cacahuatepec, San Pedro Jicayán, Santos Reyes Nopala, San Gabriel Mixtepec, San Agustín Loxicha, an Pluma Hidalgo.
Santa Catarina Juquila is ane o the maist important releegious centres o Mexico, whaur mony fowk veesit the shrine o the Virgin o Juquila ilka year.

## Dance

Dance is an important element o the coast's cultural life.  
Dance in this aurie is an amalgam o indigenous, African an Spainyie elements, hintle lik the rest o the cultur here. Authorities here, includin veelage elders, the toun cooncils, municipal authorities as weel as important veelage figurs hae wirkit tae keep tradeetions, lik the "sones" (tradeetional muisic) an "chilenas" (dance performit pairticularly in Pinotepa Nacional) alive.  The aurie hauds an annual ‘’’Coastal Dance Festival’’ wi the purpose o preservin an popularisin tradeetional coast dances.

Ane insaumple o local dance is the Petate Bull dance. Thare are mony bull dances in Mexico but the version that is performit in the veelage o Santiago Collantes in the municipality o Pinotepa Nacional, is a lively, querty dance inspirt bi local history.  This dance is the best-kent o the region an wis performit in 1911 whan Mexican preses Francisco Madero veesitit the veelage.  Accordin tae legend, the preses wis sae pleased wi the performance that he sheuk ilka dancer's haund an promised thaim gifts frae the caipital gif thay continued tae perform the dance.  While nae siclike gifts came, the toun haes continued tae perform the dance as pairt o the toun's yearly festival.  Santiago Collantes is kent for its version o the Devil's Dance an aw, whilk is relatit tae the hardships o slavery an serf-lik condeetions that baith the fowk African an indigenous oreegin haed tae suffer.  Pinotepa Nacional haes its weel-kent Chilena dance, whilk mey be relatit tae the cueca (or zamueca) dances o Sooth Americae. Ither dances performit in the aurie include the Turtle Dance, the Teeger Dance, an the auld an new versions o the Badger's Dance.

Ivery year in November, the govrenment organises the Coastal Dance Festival, whaur regional groups frae the Oaxaca coast an guests frae Michoacán, Guerrero an Chiapas in Puerto Escondido hae assembled syne 1994 tae gie exhibitions o the tradeetional dances o the soothren Paceefic region.

## References