The mastic villages have been added to the representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO.

It is also a community that comprises the village Limenas where the port of south west Chios is located.

The architecture of the settlement with its narrow streets and perimetric fortification served to repel pirate raids.

The street plan of the village is pentagonical and its many narrow roads inside the fortifications give the impression of a labyrinth.

A lot of villagers of Mesta were killed or captured during the Chios massacre.