Costa Chica of Guerrero

The Costa Chica of Guerrero (Spanish for “small coast of Guerrero") is an area along the south coast of the state of Guerrero, Mexico, extending from just south of Acapulco to the Oaxaca border. Geographically, it consists of part of the Sierra Madre del Sur, a strip of rolling hills that lowers to coastal plains to the Pacific Ocean. Various rivers here form large estuaries and lagoons that host various species of commercial fish. This area is paired with the Costa Chica of Oaxaca as both have significant population of Afro-Mexicans, which began as communities of runaway slaves. The Afro-Mexican presence in Guerrero is strongest in this region especially on the coastal municipalities from Marquelia to Cuajinicuilapa. Another important ethnic group is the Amuzgos, who are by far the largest indigenous ethnicity in the region, in the municipalities of Xochistlahuaca, Tlacoachistlahuaca and Ometepec. The Amuzgos, especially in Xochistlahuca, still wear traditional clothing, speak the Amuzgo language and many women still weave cloth on backstrap looms. The region is one of the poorest in Mexico, with an economy based on subsistence agriculture and fishing with some commerce especially along Highway 200 that parallels the coast.