This morning, I was awakened from a sound sleep by the insistent siren and recorded voice alerting the neighborhood of an impending earthquake. I bolted upright, moved to the side of the bed and slipped on my flip-flops — ready to head out the door if shaking commenced. As I’ve mentioned before, I think Mexico’s Earthquake Warning System is terrific and something the US should emulate.
However, this time, no rocking and rolling occurred, but I was left wide awake and wondering if and where an earthquake had occurred. So I pulled out my iPod Touch and opened my iEarthquake app and found that at 5:10 this morning, there was a magnitude 5.7 earthquake about 105 miles WSW from the city of Oaxaca in the mountains near the coast. The epicenter was 6.2 miles northwest of Pinotepa Nacional, in the Costa region of the state of Oaxaca.
So, I decided to use this event for a geography lesson. The state of Oaxaca has 8 regions (it used to be 7, but not too long ago the Sierra Region was split into two):
- Cañada
- Costa Region
- Istmo de Tehuantepec
- Mixteca Region
- Papaloapan Region
- Sierra Norte
- Sierra Sur
- Valles Centrales
These regions are home to 14 distinct ethno linguistic groups and the regions vary dramatically in topography, vegetation, and climate. One can catch a glimpse of the unique costumes, dances, and dancers of each region during the Guelaguetza celebration in Oaxaca in July. The city of Oaxaca is located in the Valles Centrales (“Centro” on the map below).
Map from Wikipedia
For a painless way to learn more about the geography of Mexico, you might want to take a look at the Mexican States games.
Mexican Peso Converter
View From Casita Colibrí 
Hi! I think we have some things in common — leaving the Bay Area for Oaxaca — the excitement and the angst of deciding to live here. I haven’t made a “final” decision yet, but am here for 6 months while renting my sweet little rental bungalow in Rockridge, Oakland. Have been coming to Oaxaca since
1993! I have a new blog (continuation of another): transition notes.wordpress.com. I’d like to meet you! Coffee sometime? My email: joanne@joannebrown.com. Hope to hear from you!
Joanne
sorry — blog address is:
transitionnotes.wordpress.com
[…] “More” came via my email inbox; notice of the 10th Guelaguetza Infantil, with a calenda (parade) from Santo Domingo de Guzmán to the Zócalo beginning at 6 PM. This definitely called for a change of plans! And, sure enough, as I got closer to Santo Domingo, there they were; delegations of children representing the regions of Oaxaca. […]
[…] bands played, the children from Oaxaca’s preschools wearing the traditional costumes from the 8 regions of the state of Oaxaca waited, posed, walked, danced, and threw candy to the appreciative crowds […]
[…] of the 8 regions of the state has its own distinctive “sones” and “jarabes” and they are […]