Chacahua

Playa, Chacahua, Oaxaca, January 2011. 

La Costa Chica de Oaxaca colinda, runs into, la Costa Grande de Guerrero, both known for their Afro-Indigenous- Mestizo roots. It is a place that is still hard to get to, far removed from many of the more popular Mexican pacific coast beach destinations. The language culture and music of this region can seem worlds away even from those of the Mexican states they are tucked into. Political maps might have the region divided in two but the region's similar history and continuing trade and exchange of goods makes them seem like two parts of the same naranja.

Coming from the Valles Centrales of Oaxaca into la Costa Chica the topography can seem almost garden-of-eden-like... Hues of GREENS, BLUES, and shades of WHITE... large open areas of bright green grass, cows out to pasture among las palmeras... a  w o o i n g sound of waves crashing on the beach near-by... swamp-like marshes where birds and cows gather to drink and bathe... small and large lake-mirrors reflecting flocks of small white cranes as they fly overhead... campesinos working the land, tending to the young papaya plants, cutting cocos, sembrando maíz... and the lingiring ghosts of colonialization and slavery marked on the faces of young and old alike. I've been to la Costa Chica only a couple of times but have always been struck by the beautiful faces de su gente, almost completely absent, hidden, and erased from the larger Mexican imaginary, growing, thriving, and the life and blood of a land de manglares, lagunas, y mar...

To get to Chacahua from the city of Oaxaca is a bit of an odyssey. It takes almost every type of transportation method to get there: suburban (large van) to Puerto Escondido (about a 7+ hour topsy curvy ride through la Sierra Sur), a colectivo to Rio Grande, taxi colectivo to el crucero de Zapotal, colectivo truck into Zapotal, boat from Zapotal to the peninsula of Chacahua (Chacahua is surrounded by lakes and on the other side the ocean), colectivo truck to pueblo de Chacahua. 

Most of these modes of transportation do not have a set time, a nice reminder that not everyone believes or lives by the TIME IS MONEY syndrome of capitalism. Camping at one of the palapas in Chacahua is free, yes FREE, however you are expected to eat at the respective palapa you are camping at. If you like fresh seafood and home-cooked meals this should not be a problem. We stayed with the same family M had stayed with years before on the recommendation of a friend who has visited the same family for years. 

Here are a few more images of our camping trip to Chacahua...

Lesli the youngest of the family, Chacahua, Oaxaca, January 2011.

Palma roof, Chacahua, Oaxaca, January 2011. 

Palma & boat on lake, Pueblo de Chacahua, Oaxaca, January 2011. 

Hierva Santa, Chacahua, Oaxaca, January 2011. 

Bird & lake, Chacahua, Oaxaca, January 2011. 

Palmeras, Pueblo de Chacahua, Oaxaca, January 2011. 

Playa, Chacahua, Oaxaca, January 2011. 

Playa, Chacahua, Oaxaca, January 2011.