Santa Cruz Zenzontepec

Santa Cruz Zenzontepec is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. It is part of the Sola de Vega District in the Sierra Sur Region.

Name
The name "Zenzontepec" means "Four hills".

Geography
The municipality covers an area of 361.06 km2 at an elevation of 950 meters above sea level. The terrain is rugged, in the southern edge of the Sierra Madre del Sur. The climate is mild with summer rains. There is a wide variety of trees, flowers and edible plants. Fruit that grow in the area include mango, cherimoya, mamey, lime, lemon, black sapote, nanche, plum, coconut, avocado, lemon, papaya and pineapple. Fauna include mountain lion, tiger, wild boar, deer, badger, opossum, fox, armadillo, squirrel, raccoon, skunk and bats.

Population
As of 2005, the municipality had 3,088 households with a total population of 16,773 of whom 9,643 spoke indigenous languages. The houses typically have cement floors, mud adobe walls and galvanized steel or tile roofs.

Economy
The majority of the population is engaged in agriculture, planting corn, beans and vegetables at the family level. Zenzontepec is one of the centers of the Chatino people, related to the Zapotec but with a distinct language, the Chatino language. Zenzontepec Chatino is also spoken in the municipality of San Jacinto Tlacotepec, and in the former municipality of Santa María Tlapanalquiahuitl.