Santa Catarina Albarradas

Santa Catarina Albarradas lies at about 1,650 m in the hills northeast of Mitla, within the municipality of Villa Díaz Ordaz. The 2020 census counted 363 people. Its population history is short but clear: 378 in 1900, 203 in 1921, a peak of 500 in 1960, 292 in 1995 and 396 in 2010. Nearly everyone identifies as indigenous (about 98%) and roughly 87% speak an indigenous language; around 8% do not speak Spanish.

The local language is Santa Catarina Albarradas Zapotec, also called San Antonio Albarradas Zapotec, and it is not fully understood by neighbours in Santo Domingo Albarradas. The difference shows how isolated these villages have been: the names are alike but each has its own variety.

The most visible building is the Santuario de San Antonio de Padua, a yellow church with small towers on a hillside among fields; the village's patron saint is Saint Catherine of Alexandria. The nearest settlements are San Miguel Albarradas (about 4 km southeast), Santo Domingo Albarradas (about 10 km south) and Santo Domingo Xagacía (about 11 km west). Picacho de la Toba rises to about 2,970 m to the west, and the Danj Yadoyaas and Danj Yalosaa hills lie southeast. Almost all homes have electricity and piped water; mobile signal is limited.