San Miguel Ixcatlán

San Miguel Ixcatlán hangs on a wooded slope of the Mixteca at about 1,674 m, and belongs to the municipality of Santiago Yosondúa in the Tlaxiaco district. The municipal seat is about 8 km to the west. The 2020 census counted 171 people in 57 occupied homes, which makes it a rancheria of scattered houses rather than a village with streets and a square. Its name is of Nahuatl origin and its patron saint is San Miguel Arcángel.

The setting is pure sierra: very steep hillsides, deep ravines and dense forest, with landslide scars visible on the slopes and a track that drops and climbs the mountain. Across this part of the Mixteca, families live mostly on corn and beans grown for their own table and on raising sheep, goats, pigs and some cattle; firewood comes from the forest. In the municipality, where piped water does not reach the houses it has to be carried in.

There are no hotels, restaurants or visitor services in the village. The practical way to visit is from Santiago Yosondúa, where the Sunday market is the largest in the micro-region and where you can eat and buy basics before going on. Ask the local authorities before walking the tracks, and remember this is a community governed by its own customs.