Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WHILE YOU'RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Playa Zipolite, a town just a few miles east from Mazunte, is famous for having the
only “officially sanctioned” nude beach in Mexico. This mile-long beach was pretty
quiet in the 1970s, when it was visited by few but adventurous campers and back-
to-the-landers, but it has grown in recent years. There's even Internet service and a
yoga studio. Be careful:
Zipolite
is supposedly a Zapotec word that means “beach
of the dead,” a name inspired by the strong surf and undertow.
You can also take a tour of Cosmeticos Naturales de Mazunte (S. de S.S.
Mazunte, Sta. Maria Tonameca, Oaxaca, 01-958-583-9656), a progressive cosmet-
ics cooperative in Mazunte that uses unendangered local plants to make creams,
shampoos, and body oils. Created by the founder of the Body Shop to stimulate sus-
tainable agriculture, this cute little palm-shaded adobe factory has replaced dozens
of jobs lost by the closing of the town's sole employer—Mexico's largest sea turtle
slaughterhouse. And when the cosmetics factory became successful, its workers in-
vested in other fair-trade and ecological projects in the area, including a chocolate-
processing plant and a visitor center for the Ventanilla cooperative's crocodile farm.
The cost for the Mazunte trip is $1,165 for two weeks (with additional weeks available
for $265) and includes TEFL instruction, two meals a day, and lodging in a community bun-
galow.
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
i-to-i North America,
190 E. Ninth Avenue, Suite 350, Denver, CO 80203, 800-985-4864,
www.i-to-i.com.
