Mazunte: the Ibiza of fifty years ago is in Mexico
Don't think about it too much and go. Because before you decide, things can change and then will come the laments, the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. And it is that, hopefully it will be a long time, we do not know how long it will last Mazunte as we know it (those of us who are lucky enough to know it) today. And there are not so many special places to let that train pass.
We put you in the background. We are talking about a small town of some 255 inhabitants, in the province of ** Oaxaca **, between ** Huatulco and Puerto Escondido **, bathed by the Mexican Pacific, that deserves to be kept in a red velvet jewelry box. It is authentic, it has beaches, you eat well , is an example of sustainability and integration of locals and foreigners and there is an atmosphere that makes us imagine at every corner that we are at the 1972 Aquarius Festival.
The coast of Mazunte
And it's not like it hasn't evolved since then. Quite the contrary.
In fact, it totally reinvented itself a little over 25 years ago, when in 1990 Mexico decreed a ban on hunting and commercialization of sea turtles, which turned his way of life upside down.
This was a turtle village where hundreds of specimens were hunted every day, and since then he was forced to look for a new way of life that, curiously, ended up revolving around these little animals again, but this time doing exactly the opposite: keep them.
Thus was born the Mexican Turtle Center , its main tourist attraction, and inside the Turtle Living Museum , with hundreds of specimens in their aquariums (and terrariums), which brings here many biologists, nature lovers, travelers aware of the sustainability and families.
**In season (March to November) ** almost every week turtles are released into the brush beach, a beautiful show to which neighbors and visitors are invited (who can even take part in a Tortuguero camp, with stays of no less than one month).
Escobilla Beach, Mazunte
In the same museum space is another of Mazunte's great prides, the Mazunte Natural Cosmetics Factory , a successful cooperative that sells organic products and in which the very same Anita Roddick, the founder of the Body Shop , which in order to collaborate with this community development initiative and the protection of the local flora and fauna, donated some formulas to them.
There is everything from shampoos or gels with calendula or shea to lip balms or citroneta insect repellents, but do not expect designer packaging or sophisticated presentations, because what matters here is what is inside. In cosmetics and in the rest.
The natural has everything to gain: healthy living is carried out, foods totally free of pesticides are sold and the ecological tourism.
In addition, spirituality is encouraged and in the streets there are announcements of courses of all alternative therapies that one can imagine, from the medicinal silver workshops to the tantric sex, from ayurvedic nutrition to the dances of ecstasy or butoh ; from thematic retreats to cures in the water...
It is no secret that here is one of the most famous yoga centers in the world, Yoga, ** Hydraya **, in which many teachers are trained and which brings together a large international yogi community.
Three young men watching sunset (Mazunte, Mexico)
There are also no shortage of places for meditation . All the nature of Mazunte, embraced by the Oaxaca Coast and bathed by the Pacific, invites you to do so: one kilometer away are the beaches of Saint Augustine, also perfect for bathing and doing surf and see real armies of dolphins and whales.
Three kilometers from Zipolite , with some nudist parties and places to dine in the same arena by torchlight, and in Mazunte itself, in the southernmost tip of Mexico, the best viewpoint of sunsets that one can imagine: Comet Tip , which every day around six in the afternoon becomes a meeting place to watch the sunset. And, believe us, it makes it much easier to reach Nirvana.
Comet Tip
PRACTICAL GUIDE TO ENJOY MAZUNTE
Restaurants:
** The Alchemist **. Right on Zipolite beach, this restaurant in a straw and bamboo hut, decorated with torches, is perfect for dinner and a drink. They also have a hotel.
The Termite. Wood-fired pizzas to eat at tables on the sand, on the beach of San Agustinillo. Can't ask for more for so little. (no more romance ) .
Wave . good club beach in San Agustinillo . The idea is to order some cocktails and botanas (appetizers to snack on), and leave the food for Palapa Lupita, a simple (and cheap) place to order fresh fish.
The beach club on the beach of San Agustinillo
Hotel:
Mazunte Qi House . Beautiful hotel with seven rooms on top of a small hill with views of the beach and San Agustinillo. delicious infinite pool surrounded by plants and flowers and spacious and elegant rooms.
Its infinity pool will not leave you indifferent