La Ventanilla, Oaxaca
15°40′12″N 96°34′44″W / 15.67°N 96.579°W
La Ventanilla | |
|---|---|
Town | |
East end of the beach | |
| Coordinates: 15°40′19″N 96°34′19″W / 15.67194°N 96.57194°W | |
| Country | Mexico |
| State | Oaxaca |
| Municipality | Santa María Tonameca |
| Elevation | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Population (2005) | |
• Total | 99 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| Area code | 958 |
La Ventanilla is a small village on a beach and lagoon in the municipality of Santa María Tonameca, Oaxaca, Mexico. It is best known as an ecotourism center based on its natural resources. It is located on the Costa Chica section of Oaxaca, just west of Mazunte. The La Ventanilla area consists of a long, unbroken stretch of undeveloped beach and a lagoon wedged between the Pacific Ocean and the Sierra Madre del Sur. In the 1990s, the area was nothing more than a coconut plantation with three families living there, and did not have electricity until 1999. Today, the area is home to about twenty five Zapotec families who are dedicated to preserving the ecology of both the beach and the lagoon and live in a small village located on the far east end of the beach.