Capulálpam de Méndez
| Capulalpam de Méndez | |
|---|---|
| Municipality and town | |
 Capulalpam de Méndez
|
|
| Coordinates: 17°18′N 96°27′W / 17.300°N 96.450°WCoordinates: 17°18′N 96°27′W / 17.300°N 96.450°W | |
| Country |
 Mexico
|
| State | Oaxaca |
| Area | |
| • Total | 19.14 km2 (7.39 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 2,040 m (6,690 ft) |
| Population (2005) | |
| • Total | 1,313 |
| Time zone | Central Standard Time (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | Central Daylight Time (UTC-5) |
Capulalpam de Méndez (Spanish 
) is a town and municipality in the Sierra Juárez in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. It is part of the Ixtlán District in the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca region. The name "Capulalpam" in Nahuatl means "land of the chokecherry tree," a common type of tree in the area.
The municipality covers an area of 19.14 km² of rugged mountainous terrain. The town is at an altitude of 2,040 meters above sea level in a high mountain valley. The climate is predominantly cool and wet. Common flowers include Gladiolus, geraniums, roses, bougainvillea, tulips and calla lilies. Trees include ash, aguilar, ayacahuite, oak, and Madrano ocotal, as well as fruit-bearing walnuts, pears, quince, apple, peach, plum and chokecherry.
Common birds are the eagle, hawk, crow, owl, dove, vulture, bat, swallow, sparrow, lark, quail, pheasant, picocanda and magpie. Wild animals include fox, coyote, badger, armadillo, wild boar, deer, cacomistle, opossum, cougar, skunk, jaguar, panther, rabbit and paca. The area also has lizards, coral snakes, rattlesnakes, tarantula and scorpion.
The municipality bottles its natural spring water to sell out of a small plant. Other community enterprises include selling gravel and Eco-tourism ventures (Zip-lining, etc.). There is a history of gold mining in the community but through collective action, the community eradicated the mining companies from their lands. However, the struggle remains relevant to keep the mining corporations out because while the community owns the land, the national government technically owns rights to what is beneath the soil.
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Wikipedia