[3] Its name means "place of kapok trees (Ceiba pentandra)",[4] and most of the city is built on a lakebed which was drained during the colonial period.

The locals were converted to Christianity and the first church was founded just south of the modern town and called San Pedro Huehuetán Laguna.

[5] According to tradition and archeological evidence located in the hills of Vigía, Espino and El Cometa, there were arms hidden here by pirates, who were called Pichilingües.

[4] Until late in the 20th century, much of the population of the area lived on subsistence farming, with the only work available during the harvest season on the coffee plantations.

[6] Other recent strikes include those by taxi drivers and others in transportation who have blocked roads resulting in monetary losses for the municipality.

It contains banks, supermarkets and specialty stores that serve the coastal and isolated mountain communities of the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca which generally lack these things.

[4] The center, especially the main plaza and the municipal palace, has recently been renovated and a new amphitheatre has been built to host cultural and sporting events.

[1] The patron saint's day is 29 June in which people celebrate with masks, and fireworks, some set in frames called “castles.”[4] Pochutla gained the title of city in March 2003.

[5] As municipal seat, the city of San Pedro Pochutla is the governing authority over 238 other named communities,[11] with a total area of 421km2.

Zipolite is a popular tourist attraction and Puerto Angel was a coffee export port whose economy now is based on tourism and fishing.

Other beaches include La Mina, where waves crash noisily against rocks and Zapotengo with has miles of coconut groves next to the sand.

[4][5] The municipality borders Candelaria Loxicha, Pluma Hidalgo, Santa María Huatulco, Cozoaltepec and Santo Domingo with the Pacific Ocean to the south.

Common wildlife includes iguanas, deer, wild boar, armadillos, rabbits, raccoons and numerous birds native to the area.

[4] Other crops grown include corn, sesame seed, peanuts, limes, plums, bananas, watermelons and other melons.

Traditional dress until recently consisted of loose fitting white pants and shirts made of lightweight canvas but this has mostly given way to modern clothing especially in the city.

[5] In Puerto Angel, the Universidad del Mar (University of the Sea) was founded in 1991 by Heladio Ramirez Lopez, governor of the state of Oaxaca.