Tlacotepec Plumas

Tlacotepec Plumas is a small seat in the Coixtlahuaca district of the Mixteca, at roughly 2,130 metres. Its Nahuatl name, "on the middle hill" or split hill, was given by the Mexica; in the Chocho language it is Jna Ruñena. Within its territory a site called El Potrero has yielded stone axes and pottery from the first settlers, a Chocho group tied to the kingdom of Coixtlahuaca.

The "Plumas" comes from tribute: when the Mexica conquered the region under Moctezuma Ilhuicamina, the community, then called Ihuitlán, was required to deliver feathers, because the local birds had showy plumage. In 1901 Ihuitlán split into two municipalities, Tlacotepec Plumas and Santiago Ihuitlán Plumas. The seat is recorded as founded in 1868.

Today it is a very small place. The population fell from 1,217 in 1900 to 333 in 2020, with a bump to 881 in 1980. The municipality has only four localities: the seat, Organal (60), Río Garza (14) and Rancho Potrero (3). There is no organised tourism or visitor service; transport comes from the nearby towns of Coixtlahuaca, Tepelmeme and Tejupan. It suits someone touring the region's small villages with no schedule.