Presentation: The state of Oaxaca is officially classified as having eight distinct regions, and one of them is La Costa or the coast. It includes the stretch of the Pacific Coast of Oaxaca from the Guerrero border to south of Huatulco as well as the coastal mountain range. This talk will briefly cover some of the history of Puerto Escondido and Huatulco, as well as the string of smaller resort destinations between them. It will then focus on the history of sea turtle exploitation in San Agustinillo and Mazunte, the turtle hunting ban in 1990, and the subsequent development of sea turtle ecotourism. It will then cover some of the history of Afro-descendant and indigenous Chatino populations on the coast and coastal Sierra. The presentation will conclude with the history and personal observation on the pilgrimages to the Virgin of Juquila in the coastal Sierra.

Presenter: David Barton Bray is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Earth and Environment at Florida International University in Miami. He has been conducting research on community forestry in Mexico for over thirty years, and has given several previous presentations at the OLL on this research. This is the first presentation of his retirement project on the eight regions of Oaxaca.