Mazunte Travel Guide | What to do in Mazunte

Though it has grown in recent years, the tiny village of Mazunte remains a languid, laid-back destination with a dazzling beach, a peaceful stop on any Mexico coast trip. It’s quieter than Zipolite and lacks the party vibe, though it still carries a distinctly alternative feel. The surf here is gentler, and at the western end of the beach, beyond the rocky outcrop, a smaller bay offers even calmer waters and safer swimming.

The village’s name comes from the Náhuatl word maxonteita, meaning “please come and spawn,” a reference to the Golfina turtles that once bred here in great numbers. Mazunte was once the site of a large turtle industry and abattoir that, at its peak, reportedly slaughtered three thousand turtles a day. In 1990, the Mexican government, responding to international pressure, banned the industry overnight, a move that wiped out the community’s primary livelihood and pushed villagers briefly toward slash-and-burn agriculture.

Since then, Mazunte has been declared a reserve, and sustainable, long-term ecotourism programs have taken root, helping the town evolve into the calm, conscious coastal haven it is today.

The government-funded Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga is one of the programmes set up to create a new economy for Mazunte. It features an aquarium with some particularly large turtles and a turtle research centre; well worth the visit, especially as proceeds go towards the conservation of this majestic species.

Don’t leave Mazunte without following the trail next to the Balamjuyuc, which runs past the remains of some unmarked ruins to Punta Cometa, a thirty-minute walk. This entrancing park on top of the rocky headland next to Mazunte beach is the southernmost point in Oaxaca, and has mesmerizing views at sunset. The “jacuzzi”, a rocky pool that fills with foamy surf as the waves rush in, can be accessed by scrambling down the rocks at the south end of the headland – it makes a good photo but it’s not safe to go in.

The lagoon at Playa Ventanilla, some 2km west of Mazunte, is home to around four hundred crocodiles, as well as a rich profusion of birdlife. You can test your heart rate by going out on the water in a shallow boat to navigate among the scaly inhabitants.

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Mazunte

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