Lachatao

Santa Catarina Lachatao is the closest of the Pueblos Mancomunados to Capulálpam, a small Zapotec village of cobbled lanes in the mountains just to the south. It was settled long before the Spanish arrived and was an important ceremonial center for the Zapotecs, as well as a stop on the trade route between the northern mountains and the central valleys.

The parish church of Santa Catarina, built of greenish stone between the late 16th and early 17th centuries, stands over a narrow plaza. Nearby, the community museum shows archaeological finds, copies of old maps, colonial paintings and uniforms, photographs and weapons from the Mexican Revolution, collected and cared for by the village itself.

Above the village rises the Cerro del Jaguar, a hill with ancient remains that the community considers sacred. It was brought back to attention in 2009, and today people gather there for the equinoxes. The walk up gives wide views over the Sierra Juárez. Lachatao has simple community cabins and is a good base for hikes into the rest of the Mancomunados.