Los Tuxtlas
It also refers to a high complex natural ecosystem, an isolated volcanic mountain range next to the Gulf of Mexico, home to the northern edge of tropical rainforest in the Americas.
Although seriously deforested, most of it is under protection as the Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, which stretches over eight municipalities, centering on the four mentioned above.
[3] The mountain range ends abruptly at the sea, which makes for low cliffs and small beaches, the latter usually at the mouths of rivers and streams.
[6] Biologically speaking, Los Tuxtlas is one of the most important regions in Mexico, a complex mixture of vegetation covering mountains and sea coast and includes the northern limit of tropical rainforest in the Americas.
[7] Endangered species of fauna include Chironectes minimus, Vampyrum spectrum, Alouatta palliate, Ateles geoffroyii, Cyclopes didactylus.
[4] The frequent rain support numerous rivers and stream and creates lakes, especially in dormant volcano cones, with 2.8% of the region covered by surface water.
[4][7] The rugged terrain and water flow makes for numerous waterfalls, with the largest and best known being Eyipantla and the tallest being Cola de Caballo.
[6][9] The region is part of the Papaloapan River Basin, with major rivers including the Papalopapan, San Juan Grande de Catemaco, Coxcoapan, Coetzala, Ahuacapan, Hueyapan, el Carrizal, La Palma, Olapa, Yohualtapan, Arroyo de Liza, Arroyo Rejon, Cold-Maquina, Gachapa, La Palma, Oro, Prieto, Salinas and Toro Prieto.
[4] The effects of human activity in the area are complex, but most of the damage comes from deforestation, creating pasture land and fragmenting forest.
[4] Thirty years later, the Los Tuxtlas Tropical Biology Station was founded as part of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
[4][8] In 1979 and 1980, presidential decrees declared the areas around the San Martín and Santa Marta Volcanoes as Forest Protection Zone and Wild Animal Shelter, but this failed to stop the ecological deterioration because little action was taken locally.
[4] However, as late as 1997, there was little change in local population's consciousness of the deforestation, and the economic activities causing destruction continued.
[4][5] The land is under federal control and managed by the Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP) as a priority region for conservation.
[5] The establishment of the Biosphere was accompanied by efforts to promote the development of eco tourism to the local population as well as changed to water and land use.
[4][7] Successes include reforestation efforts on the campus of the Tecnológico de San Andrés Tuxtla, using native species,[13] and the ProÁrbol program, which as of 2009 produced 414,963 plants, spread over 697 hectares.
San Andrés Tuxtla and Hueyapan de Ocampo are the largest, accounting for 56.6% of the total area.
[7] Only about fifty four percent are classified by the state as rural, with the rest living in twelve towns and cities with 2,500 people of more.
[7] The economic base for the region is agriculture, livestock, fishing and tourism,[4][5] with the first three taking up most of the area's natural resources.
[4] Indigenous homes mostly work with subsistence agriculture and some cattle raising, supplemented by seasonal labor and trade.
[10] Crops also include sugar cane, mangos, tomatoes, chili peppers, citrus fruits and carpet grass.
Despite taking most of the natural resources and much of the labor, the primary sector of the economy accounts for only .5% of the gross regional product.
Around 1150 BCE, there was an eruption of the Cerro Mono Blanco, spreading volcanic ash which likely decreased soil productivity, moving populations from the upper to lower Catemaco River.
Ceramic and obsidian technologies are similar but concentrations of luxury goods such as jade beads characteristic of major Olmec settlements are absent.
The eastern, central and western zones of the Tuxtlas begin to construct centers with mounded architecture and large stone sculptures, especially in Tres Zapotes and Los Cerros.
In the eastern Tuxtlas Laguna de Los Cerros emerged as a major center with settlements such as Isla as secondary.
The site is characterized by three mound groups each associated with a large number of stone monuments, as well as imported items such as jade and serpentine.
The principle center for this occupation was Totogal, in the Santiago Tuxtla municipality near the earlier settlement of Tres Zapotes.
[15][16] During the colonial period, the population became a mix of indigenous, African and European, with the area also attracting migration from other parts of New Spain .
[4] The ecology of the region was first studied in 1793 when José Marian Mociño described the eruption of San Martín Tuxla Volcano.
[4] Starting in the late 1970s and early 1980s, conservation policies began to emerge and the encouragement of ecotourism, promoted as an alternative for sustainable development.
