Mexico Coffee

Explore by region

• Guerrero

  The Guerrero region of western Mexico is famous for a number of things: the beaches of Acapulco; the birthplace of the Mexican Revolution; drug cartel activity; the place where actor Morgan Freeman ends up in Shawshank Redemption. But for coffee lovers, its notoriety is growing due to washed and “natural gold”--coffee grown in the high Sierra Occidental Range.

  Coffee cultivation came to this area barely three generations ago. In fact, some of those intrepid farmers who brought coffee over the mountains to the sleepy village of Zihuatanejo still tend their original farms. Guerrero coffee growers care about the quality of their product, and though infrastructure and exporting has limited them in the past, they are increasingly working with specialty coffee roasters and importers to bring their excellent coffees to the forefront.

  Guerrero

• Sierra Madre de Chiapas

  Cloud forests. Mayan ruins. Dazzling biodiversity—the Chiapas region is steeped in history and mystery. In the language of the Aztecs, Chiapas means “place where the chia sage grows.” Home to both the Mayan ruins of Bonampak, where intricate murals are preserved, and Palenque, which is located in a national park, Chiapas shows evidence of human occupation as early as 1400 B.C.. Mayan, Aztec, Spanish cultures have all made their contributions, yet Chiapas’ ethnic groups have maintained much of their ancient cultures, traditions, and customs. In fact, the state has one of the largest and most diverse indigenous populations in Mexico, with approximately one quarter of the state’s population speaking their native language.

  The Chiapas region produces 60% of Mexico’s total coffee output, is second in cacao production, grows sugarcane, bananas, and other fruit, as well as producing approximately 4.7 million gallons of milk annually.

  Sierra Madre de Chiapas

• Colima

  As the old adage says, “Good things come in small packages,” and when it comes to some of Mexico’s lesser-known coffee growing areas, this is certainly true. For example, the Colima region/state is home to approximately 856 coffee farmers. Coffee production is small in size, but big in taste--a well-kept secret, because prior to the latest eruption of Volcán de Fuego, all coffee coming from Colima was sold to roasters in Mexico itself. Ordered by the government to evacuate their towns during volcanic activity, families return to tend their coffee trees once the mountain settles down.

  Producers in Colima are typically members of small cooperatives. These days, the small co-ops are able to export their coffees under the Intragadora cooperative. This means that specialty coffee roasters and importers are finding some stellar Colima offerings on their cupping tables, and are passing them on to coffee lovers worldwide.

  Colima

• Oaxaca

  In southern Mexico, where the country narrows and turns to the east, some really great coffee grows. On the southern slope of the Sierra de Oaxaca range, gazing out on the blue, blue Pacific, is the home of the Oaxaca coffee growing region. Farmers here typically own less than 2 hectares (4.4 acres), and the 2-6 bags of coffee they grow annually is often their only cash crop. Many growers in Oaxaca belong to indigenous people groups and cultures, and this has been key in their embrace of traditional growing techniques and organic practices.

  Oaxacan coffees, also marketed under the label “Oaxaca Pluma,” are highly regarded in the coffee industry for their flavor and quality. Farmers here organize coffee cooperatives in order to pool their resources. Doing so not only gives them better access to financing options to improve their operations, it also helps them create more presence in the marketplace with importers so they can receive fair prices for their coffees.

  Oaxaca

• Sierra Madre Occidental

  The range runs parallel to the Pacific coast of Mexico, from just south of the Arizona-Sonora border southeast through eastern Sonora, western Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco, Aguascalientes to Guanajuato, where it joins with the Sierra Madre del Sur and the Eje Volcánico Transversal (Transverse Volcanic Axis) of central Mexico after crossing 1,250 km (780 mi). The mountains range from 300 km (190 mi) from the Gulf of California in the north, but begin to approach within 50 km (30 mi) of the Pacific in the south. These mountains are generally considered to be part of the much larger American cordillera, the mountains extending from Alaska down to these across western North America.

  Sierra Madre Occidental

• Chiapas

  Bordering Oaxaca and Guatemala, Chiapas typically produces a chocolatey coffee, with medium body and bright acidity. ... Given its proximity to Central America, Chiapas was the first coffee-growing area in Mexico to be affected by coffee leaf rust

  Chiapas

• Cosautlán

  Cosautlán in Veracruz, Mexico. It is located in the montane central zone of the State of Veracruz, about 23.5 km from state capital Xalapa. It has a surface of 72.38 km2. It is located at 19°20′N 96°59′W. The town has 2224 men and 2393 women.
  The municipality of Cosautlán is delimited to the north by Teocelo, to the south by Tlaltetela, to the east by Tlaltetela, to the south by Oteapan, and to the west by Ixhuacán de los Reyes.
  It produces principally maize and beans.
  In Cosautlán , in May takes place the celebration in honor to San Isidro Labrador, Patron of the town.
  The weather in Cosautlán is cold all year with rains in summer and autumn.

  Cosautlán

• Xalisco

  Formerly known as Jalisco, this municipality is located 6.4 km. southwest of Tepic. In the north it bounds the municipality of Tepic, in the south the municipality of Compostela; in the east the municipality of Santiago Ixcuintla and in the west the municipality of San Blas. The total area is 290.60 square kilometers, which makes it the smallest of the 20 municipalities that make up the state.

  Over half of the municipal territory is mountainous with one peak, Cerro Alto, reaching 2,240 meters. There are several small rivers and streams of short length.

  In the upper elevations there are still conifers and oaks, but over-forestry and long years of wood gathering for cooking have seriously depleted the natural cover. There are still deer, badgers, armadillos, and javelinas in more remote locations.

  Xalisco

• Tepic

  Tepic [teˈpik] is the capital and largest city of the western Mexican state of Nayarit, as well as the seat of the Tepic Municipality.

  Located in the central part of the state, it stands at an altitude of 915 metres (3,002 ft) above sea level, on the banks of the Río Mololoa and the Río Tepic, approximately 225 kilometres (140 mi) north-west of Guadalajara, Jalisco. Nearby are the extinct Sangangüey volcano and its crater lake. Tepic is the primary urban center of this rich agricultural region; major crops include sugarcane, tobacco and citrus fruits.

  Tepic

• La Yerba

  The town of La Yerba is a small community on the northern side of the San Juan Volcano. The community was originally founded under the name of El Astal, but in 1969 the town was relocated to border a highway as a newly formed Ejido and was named La Yerba. To this day the community remains integrated by 35 Ejidatarios with a total of 786 inhabitants; 383 women and 403 men, according to the census of INEGI, 2013. The economy of La Yerba is tied to its two most important crops, coffee, and avocados. With one harvest immediately following the other, there are only a few months a year where farmers have guaranteed income.

  La Yerba

• Veracruz

  Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in eastern Mexico, Veracruz is bordered by seven states, which are Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo, Puebla, Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Tabasco. Veracruz is divided into 212 municipalities, and its capital city is Xalapa-Enríquez.

  Veracruz has a significant share of the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico on the east of the state. The state is noted for its mixed ethnic and indigenous populations. Its cuisine reflects the many cultural influences that have come through the state because of the importance of the port of Veracruz. In addition to the capital city, the state's largest cities include Veracruz, Coatzacoalcos, Córdoba, Minatitlán, Poza Rica, Boca Del Río and Orizaba.

  The natural geography can be categorized into nine regions: The Sierra de Zongolica, the Tecolutla Region, the Huayacocotla Region, the Metlac River area, the Tuxtlas Region, the Central Region, the Laguna del Castillo Region, the Pueblo Viejo-Tamiahua Region and the Laguna de Alvarado Region.[14] The topography changes drastically, rising from the narrow coastal plains to the highlands of the eastern Sierra Madre. Elevation varies from sea level to the Pico de Orizaba, Mexico's highest peak at 5,636 m (18,491 ft) above sea level.[13][16] The coast consists of low sandy strips interspersed with tidewater streams and lagoons.[15] Most of the long coastline is narrow and sandy with unstable dunes, small shifting lagoons, and points.[14]

  The mountains are of the Sierra Madre Oriental and the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. Mountain ranges include the Sierra de Topila, Sierra de Otontepec, Sierra de Huayacocotla, Sierra de Coxquihui, Sierra de Chiconquiaco, Sierra de Jalacingo, Sierra de Axocuapan, Sierra de Huatusco, Sierra de Zongolica, and the Sierra de Los Tuxtlas. Major peaks include Pico de Orizaba (5,636 m; 18,491 ft), Cofre de Perote (4,282 m; 14,048.6 ft), Cerro de Tecomates (3,227 m; 10,587 ft), Cerro del Vigía Alta (3,055 m; 10,023 ft) and Cerro de 3 Tortas (2,997 m; 9,833 ft). The Pico de Orizaba is covered in snow year round; the Cofre de Perote is covered in winter. Major valleys include the Acultzingo, Córdoba, Maltrata, Orizaba and San Andrés.

  More than 40 rivers and tributaries provide water for irrigation and hydroelectric power; they also carry rich silt down from the eroding highlands, which is deposited in the valleys and coastal areas. All of the rivers and streams that cross the state begin in the Sierra Madre Oriental or in the Central Mesa, flowing east to the Gulf of Mexico. The important ones include: Actopan River, Acuatempan river, Río Blanco, Cazones River, Coatzacoalcos River, Río de La Antigua, Ayyappan River, Jamapa River, Nautla River, Pánuco River, Papaloapan River, Tecolutla River, Tonalá River, Tuxpan River and Xoloapa River. The largest in terms of water discharge are the Pánuco, Tuxpan, Papaloapan, Coazocoalcos and Uxpanapa. The Panuco, Tuxpan, Papaloapan and Coatzacoalcos are navigable. Two of Mexico's most polluted rivers, the Coatzacoalcos and the Río Blanco are located in the state. Much of the pollution comes from industrial sources, but the discharge of sewerage and uncontrolled garbage disposal are also major contributors. The state has very few sewage treatment plants, with only 10% of sewage being treated before discharge.

  The state also has ten major waterfalls and ten major coastal lagoons. There is only one significant lake, called Lake Catemaco. Off the coast are the islands of Isla de Lobos, Isla de los Burros, Isla de Sacrificios, Isla de Salmendina, Isla del Idolo, Isladel Toro, Isla Frijoles, Isla Juan A Ramirez, Isla Pajaros and Isla Terrón and the ocean reefs called Blanquilla, Medio, Tangüillo, Tuxpan, Gualleguilla, Gallega, Anegada de Adento Anegada de Afuera and Cabezo.

  The large variation of altitude results in a large mixture of climates, from cold, snow-topped mountain peaks to hot, humid tropical areas on the coast. 32% of the state is classified as hot and humid, 52% as hot and semi humid, 9% is warm and humid, 6% as temperate and humid and 1% is classified as cold.[13] Hot and humid and hot and semi-humid climates dominate from sea level to about 1,000 m (3,281 ft) above sea level. Average annual temperature ranges from 22 to 26 °C (72 to 79 °F) with precipitation varying from 2,000 mm (79 in) to just over 3,500 mm (138 in) per year. Cooler and humid climates are found at elevations between 1,000 and 1,600 m (3,281 and 5,249 ft). These have an average temperature of between 18 and 22 °C (64 and 72 °F) with precipitation varying between 2,000 and 2,500 mm (79 and 98 in). Temperate climates are found at higher altitudes, between 1,600 and 2,800 m (5,249 and 9,186 ft). Temperatures here vary from 12 to 18 °C (54 to 64 °F) with precipitation varying more, between 500 and 2,500 mm (20 and 98 in). Cold climates are found at the highest elevations, reaching up to the Cofre de Perote and the Pico de Orizaba. There is a small semi arid region around the city of Perote and the west of the Huasteca area. This is due to a rain shadow caused by the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt and the Sierra Madre Oriental, which do not permit the flow of moist Gulf air to this region.

  The primary sector of the economy (agriculture, forestry and fishing) has been important since pre-Hispanic times and continues to be important both as a source of income as well as culturally. The state has abundant rainfall and extremely fertile soils, as well as a long coastline and forest containing a wide variety of trees and other plants.

  There is about 1 million hectares of cultivable land, half of which is in private hands and 43% is ejido or communal land. The rest is occupied by human settlements. There are 3,620 ejidos parceled out to 270,000 ejido members. 52.5% of agricultural land is used for the growing of crops or used as pasture and 43.1% is forest or rainforest. Chief agricultural products include coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, tobacco, bananas, coconuts, and vegetables, but local farmers depend mainly on corn and beans. Two corn crops per year are generally produced, planted on 644,936 hectares with a production of 1,114,325 tons. The state is the leading national producer of coffee, sugarcane, corn, and rice. Coffee is grown on 152,993 hectares producing 400,575 tons. Export earnings from this crop are about US$232 million annually. Most coffee is grown in the mountain areas of Córdoba-Huatusco, Coatepec-Teocelo-Cosautlán and Misantla-Tlapacoyan-Atzalan. Sugarcane is cultivated on 254,000 hectares, producing 16,867,958 tons annually. Veracruz is the largest producer of rice with 24,000 hectares producing 120,000 tons. Much is this crop is protected by import bans from Asia.

  Veracruz

• Nayarit

  Nayarit, officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit (English: Free and Sovereign State of Nayarit), is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 20 municipalities and its capital city is Tepic.

  It is bordered by the states of Sinaloa to the northwest, Durango to the north, Zacatecas to the northeast and Jalisco to the south. To the west, Nayarit has a significant share of coastline on the Pacific Ocean, including the islands of Marías and Marietas. The beaches of San Blas and the so-called "Riviera Nayarit" are popular with tourists and snowbirds. Besides tourism, the economy of the state is based mainly on agriculture and fishing. It is also one of two states where the tarantula species Brachypelma klaasi is found, the other being Jalisco.

  Home to Uto-Aztecan indigenous peoples such as the Huichol and Cora, the region was exposed to the conquistadores Hernán Cortés and Nuño de Guzmán in the 16th century. Spanish governance was made difficult by indigenous rebellions and by the inhospitable terrain of the Sierra del Nayar. The last independent Cora communities were subjugated in 1722. The state's name recalls the Cora people's label for themselves: Náayerite, commemorating Nayar, a resistance leader.

  Nayarit

  Article
  Talk
  Read
  Edit
  View history

  Tools
  Appearance hide
  Text

  Small

  Standard

  Large
  Width

  Standard

  Wide
  Color (beta)

  Automatic

  Light

  Dark
  Coordinates: 22°N 105°W
  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Nayarit
  State
  Free and Sovereign State of Nayarit
  Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit (Spanish)
  The Aguamilpa Dam
  The Aguamilpa Dam
  Coat of arms of Nayarit
  Coat of arms
  State of Nayarit within Mexico
  State of Nayarit within Mexico
  Coordinates: 22°N 105°W
  Country Mexico
  Capital
  and largest city Tepic
  Municipalities 20
  Admission January 26, 1917[1]
  Order 28th
  Government
  • Governor Miguel Ángel Navarro Quintero
  • Senators[2] Cora Cecilia Pinedo Alonso
  Rosa Elena Jiménez Arteaga
  Gloria Elizabeth Núñez Sánchez
  • Deputies[3]
  
  Federal Deputies
  Area[4]
  • Total 27,857 km2 (10,756 sq mi)
  Ranked 23rd
  Highest elevation[5] 2,760 m (9,060 ft)
  Population (2020)[6]
  • Total 1,235,456
  • Rank 29th
  • Density 44/km2 (110/sq mi)
  • Rank 23rd
  Demonym Nayarita
  GDP[7]
  • Total MXN 205 billion
  (US$10.2 billion) (2022)
  • Per capita (US$8,171) (2022)
  Time zones UTC−7 (MST)
  UTC−6 (CST)
  Postal code
  63
  Area code
  
  Area codes
  ISO 3166 code MX-NAY
  HDI Increase 0.755 high Ranked 17th of 32
  Website Official website
  Nayarit (Spanish pronunciation: [naʝaˈɾit]), officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit (English: Free and Sovereign State of Nayarit), is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 20 municipalities and its capital city is Tepic.

  It is bordered by the states of Sinaloa to the northwest, Durango to the north, Zacatecas to the northeast and Jalisco to the south. To the west, Nayarit has a significant share of coastline on the Pacific Ocean, including the islands of Marías and Marietas. The beaches of San Blas and the so-called "Riviera Nayarit" are popular with tourists and snowbirds. Besides tourism, the economy of the state is based mainly on agriculture and fishing. It is also one of two states where the tarantula species Brachypelma klaasi is found, the other being Jalisco.

  Home to Uto-Aztecan indigenous peoples such as the Huichol and Cora, the region was exposed to the conquistadores Hernán Cortés and Nuño de Guzmán in the 16th century. Spanish governance was made difficult by indigenous rebellions and by the inhospitable terrain of the Sierra del Nayar. The last independent Cora communities were subjugated in 1722. The state's name recalls the Cora people's label for themselves: Náayerite, commemorating Nayar, a resistance leader.[8]

  History

  Map of Nayarit before the Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire

  The colonial contaduría (accounting offices) in the old port town of San Blas
  Radiocarbon dating estimate Aztatlán colonization of the western Mexican coast – including parts of Sinaloa, Nayarit and Jalisco – as occurring as early as 900 AD, with some evidence suggesting it might have been as early as 520 AD. Encountered on the western coast by the Spanish invaders in 1500, the cultures were descended from these original Aztatlán settlements and other Classic-stage cultures who had merged with them.[9][10]

  Hernán Cortés was the first known European to enter into the area now known as Nayarit, which he claimed for Spain as part of Nueva Galicia. Under Nuño de Guzmán, Spaniards took the region with considerable brutality, causing the indigenous inhabitants to revolt, in what was later referred to as the Mixtón War.[11][12] After almost two centuries of resistance, the last independent Cora communities were incorporated into Spanish administration by force in 1722. Then followed intense missionary efforts by Jesuits to convert the indigenous.[13]

  In the colonial period, the port of San Blas was one of the most important trade ports on the American Pacific coast. Galleons transporting goods from Manila, the Philippines arrived here before the rise of the port of Acapulco.[citation needed] Today, the town still boasts colonial architecture from its heyday, such as the aduana (customs office), the contaduría (accounting offices) and the fortress that protected the port against pirates.[citation needed]

  In Nayarit, the struggle for independence from Spain was initiated by the priest José María Mercado, who conquered Tepic and San Blas before being defeated and executed by Spanish royalists. In 1824, in the first constitution of the Mexican Republic, Nayarit was a part of Jalisco. [citation needed] In the mid-1800s Comanche Indians, from Texas and Oklahoma, attacked Tepic causing widespread destruction. During the second half of the 19th century, Nayarit was one of the most turbulent territories in Mexico. The population was in open revolt, demanding access to land.[14]

  Nayarit was one of the last territories admitted as a state of the Mexican federation, which occurred on May 1, 1917.[15]

  Geography
  See also: Sierra Madre Occidental

  Sayulita on Nayarit's Pacific coast, a former fishing village now mostly given over to tourism, part of the area now marketed as "La Riviera Nayarit"
  Nayarit covers 27,815 square kilometers (10,739 sq mi), making it one of the smaller states in Mexico.[16] Nayarit is located between latitude lines 23°05' north and 20°36' south and longitude lines 103°43' east and 105°46' west. Its terrain is broken up by the western ends of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains. Its highest mountains are: San Juan, Sanguangüey, El Ceboruco, Cumbre de Pajaritos and Picachos. Nayarit has two volcanoes, Ceboruco and Sangangüey. In the northeast are broad, tropical plains watered by the Río Grande de Santiago, a continuation of the Lerma River. The main state rivers are the Río Grande de Santiago, San Pedro Mezquital, Acaponeta, Ameca, and Las Cañas. The Río Grande de Santiago is the largest river in Nayarit. The Santiago and its tributaries are of major importance for agricultural irrigation. The Ameca and the Las Cañas lie on the border between Nayarit and the states of Jalisco and Sinaloa, respectively. Notable lagoons in Nayarit include Santa María del Oro, San Pedro Lagunillas and Agua Brava.

  Nayarit