San Pedro Mixtepec

San Pedro Mixtepec is a picturesque community in the mountain foothills just 20 minutes from Puerto Escondido on the road to Oaxaca via Sola de Vega.

Mixtepec comes from the Nahuatl meaning “Hill of Clouds” or “Cloudy Hill.” It is believed that it once had a Zapotec name, Danicahue, which has the same meaning.

San Pedro Mixtepec is an important town in this region. For one thing, it is the administrative center of the municipality that includes most of Puerto Escondido.

According to the archives, on June 21, 1629 , Don Juan de Peralta, in return for “1000 arrobas of cotton (a weight equivalent to 25 pounds) and 1000 pesos”, ceded the lands to the people living there. The ceremony was witnessed by the colonial authorities and San Pedro Mixtepec officially became an independent community.

The 374 th anniversary of this milestone will be marked with a civic and cultural program at 6 p.m. in and around the municipal government building.

The annual festivities honoring San Pedro Apóstol will begin on June 27 with the calenda (festive procession) and convite (the traditional parades marking the start of the celebrations) and continue through July 1.

There will be sports tournaments, cultural presentations, rodeos, dances, and general merriment, plus of course, the religious observances. On the eve of the Saint's day, June 28, is the highlight of the fiesta with the traditional castillo fireworks display.

San Pedro is a pleasant, well-ordered and clean community that sits on a river and is surrounded by densely wooded and frequently cloudy peaks. It boasts a legitimate tourist attraction: the spectacular El Chorro Waterfall near the small town of La Reforma.