San Nicolás Quialana

Quialana lies at 1,479 metres in the Zimatlán valley, about 2 km south of the municipal seat. Its name is Zapotec in origin and San Nicolás Tolentino is the patron saint. The village had 1,084 residents in 2005, 1,042 in 2010 and 1,170 in 2020, making it the third most populous of the 56 localities of the municipality of Zimatlán de Álvarez.

The best-known landmark is the shell of the former hacienda of San Nicolás Quialana: adobe walls and an arch under a cover of vegetation, partly still standing. Today the compound serves as a primary and lower-secondary school. Names around it recall the agrarian past, such as the Ex-hacienda de la Niña Andrea and the paraje Yaguiña, plus ranch hamlets of only a few dozen people. San Pablo Huixtepec, with about 9,600 residents, is 2 km to the east.

The climate is mild and fairly dry: 19.8 °C on average and about 787 mm of rain a year over some 190 days. Nearly every home has electricity (99.7%) and piped water (93%), and 84% have a mobile phone, so signal is usually good. There is no lodging in the village: the nearest hotels are 2 to 4 km to the north and northwest. For food there are fondas and stalls within 2 km, such as Marisquería La Mas Querida and Tacos y Burritos Isac.