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The Road to Mazunte

Heading east of Puerto on the Coast Highway the terrain is dominated by peanut and papaya cultivation, but later in the year you'll also see bright red fields of jamaica, used to make agua de jamaica, hibiscus tea, tasty and rich in vitamin C . There are undeveloped beaches and small lagoons at El Tomatal and Santa Elena.

[iguana] Agua Blanca is notable for its tide pools (check out the tide chart on Page 15) and offers decent snorkeling. Recently there has been some development on this beach. There are a couple of restaurants, which serve good food, including great oysters in season.

The Iguana Hatchery run by Elpidio Marcelino is perched below the bridge over the Cotzoaltepec River. Look for the sign just after you cross the bridge.

Iguanas are such a familiar feature of the Mexican landscape that it's surprising to learned that these creatures are endangered. Here you can see hundreds of iguanas in all their stages of development.

There are two distinct varieties: the more common black iguana which is found in more arid areas and the prehistoric-looking green iguana which favors river and lagoon banks. They ask for a $10 peso donation to help pay for feeding the creatures.

You'll leave the Coast Highway at San Antonio A few kliks up the road you'll see the turnoff for Ventanilla, named for the "window rock" on its beach. Another model ecological project, Agustin Reyes Sánchez and his neighbors offer interesting tours of the Ventanilla lagoon that they have converted into a successful eco-tourist attraction. The river-fed mangrove lagoons are typical of the topography of the Oaxacan coast. A meeting of fresh water and the sea, this wetland environment harbors an astonishing variety of flora, birds, fish, reptiles and mammals.

[laguna] The mangrove forests are an amazingly productive ecosystem; the roots nurturing the crabs, shrimps and mussels that attract a wide variety of fish species, that in turn, draw the birds and other wildlife.

The tours at Ventanilla are in paddled dugout boats without motors, so the animals are not frightened away by the noise. After a few minutes you'll round a bend and see huge crocodiles basking in the sun on the sand banks and the nesting birds barely stir as you glide just feet away from them.

You will also visit the crocodile and iguana hatchery and their nursery to learn about their reforestation efforts.

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