Mexico | Sierra Mazateca

The Mazateca is located in the state of Oaxaca, one of the most diverse states in México, both biologically
and culturally. The Mazateca gets its name from the presence of the indigenous group, the Mazatec,
which is a Nahualt name that translates to “the deer people”. However, in their own language, Mazateco, the group is called Ha Shuta Enima, which means “those who work the hills”.

The land is found between the regions from La Cañada and the Papaloapán Valley, at the northern tip of the state of Oaxaca. As part of the Sierra Madre Sur and the Sierra Oriental, the land is surrounded by high mountains, cliffs, and hills of mainly mesophile forest, bathed by constant rains, and the intermittent presence of mist.

The Mazateca is an important indigenous region where 92% of the population speaks an indigenous
language, mostly Mazateco, with a few Nahuatl and Mixtec speakers also. The locals show a connection to
their ancestry through their celebrations and traditions, such as celebrations for each town patron, day of the dead, local seed sowing traditions, and many others.
The region is also one of the most lacking in health and education coverage of the country with an
alarming poverty and illiteracy level. It is made up of small and isolated communities where the main
economic activity is small-scale agriculture, since few people own more than a couple hectares of land.

There is an important tradition of coffee growing in this region. The steep landscape makes for hard
work but is also the reason for the outstanding cup quality, which for a long time got lost in huge blends.

Today the region is rarely visited, and even in the coffee world it is often neglected due to the challenging conditions, remote locations and small production. Even by Oaxaca’s low standards production yields are tiny here in part due to the cool temperatures. Coffee is generally grown at 1500 metres and above in the Mazateca and at this latitude, these altitudes experience very low temperatures making frost damage a real issue for producers.

This climate and these altitudes also contribute positively to the cup profile and in general, coffees from the Mazateca are among the most complex and highest quality in all of Mexico.