Form Tehuantepec to Tuxtepec, Oaxaca’s ethnic groups give the region a distinctly indigenous and idiosyncratic flavour. Many still rely on healers and the intervention of saints to cure ills of the flesh and of the spirit.

The state of Oaxaca forms the elbow of a geographic arm extending south and east to embrace the indigenous heart of Mexico. This is a mountainous land caught in the clutch of the eastern and western Sierra Mader. Dozens of fractured ranges lead to isolated high valleys draped with mist, where tiny hamlets are accessible only on foot or by burro.

Oaxaca’s 515-kilometre Pacific coast is an important tourist destination. Hotels are popping up along the beautiful bays of Huatulco, one of the smallest of Mexico’s planned seaside resorts. Puerto Escondido, a world-famous surf spot, has natural beauty and casual restaurants and hotels. Outside the tourist destinations, fishing villages and inland towns lure adventurous travellers with annual religious festivals and unusual folk art, including masks, pottery, and textiles.