the town of Juchitán is located in the Municipality of Juchitán (in the State of Guerrero). There are 3346 inhabitants. In the list of the most populated towns of the whole municipality, it is the number #1 of the ranking. Juchitán is at 159 meters of altitude.

In the town there are 1633 men and 1713 women. The ratio women per men is 1.049, and the fecundity rate is 4.32 children per woman. People from outside the State of Guerrero account for 2.84% of the total population. 17.87% of the inhabitants are illiterate (15.86% of men and 19.79% of women). The average school enrollment ratio is 5.67 (5.85 within the men and 5.51 within the women).

In 2005, in Juchitán there were 2944 inhabitants. That is to say, now there are 402 more people (a variation of 13.65%). Of which there are 292 more men (a variation of 21.77%), and 110 more women (a variation of 6.86%).3.68% of the population is indigenous, and 1.43% of the inhabitants speak one of the indigenous languages. 0.09% of the population speaks one of the indigineous languages, but not Spanish.31.86% of the inhabitants (more than 12 years) are economically active (51.19% of the men, and 13.43% of the women).Inthere are 1244 dwellings. 96.84% of the dwellings have electricity, 44.53% have piped water, 82.24% have toilet or restroom, 46.72% have a radio receiver, 84.55% a television, 78.10% a fridge, 43.31% a washing-machine, 25.18% a car or a van, 8.15% a personal computer, 48.91% a landline telephone, 21.17% mobile phone, and 4.14% Internet access.

Tamales (corn-based doughs) made with iguana are an ancestral delicacy in the town of Juchitán, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. They are very typical within the Easter menu, during which about 500 specimens are consumed daily in the town. At this time of year, these animals are laying their eggs, and the inhabitants of Juchitán consider it a good time to prepare the traditional tamales, which are prepared with corn dough, sauce or mole made from pumpkin seed, meat and, finally, iguana eggs.

The inhabitants of this Mexican town defend their tradition and praise the taste of iguana tamales, which can be tasted without any problem in the town's central market. Many inhabitants eat these iguana tamales, which are cooked on a banana leaf, an ancient Easter tradition in Juchitán, and throughout the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, where it is considered a special dish at this time of year.

However, the iguana is listed in Mexico as an endangered species. Therefore, the Juchiteco Ecological Forum, an organization that works to ensure that the species does not become extinct, calls for the inhabitants of Juchitán not to consume iguanas during their breeding season. "Approximately 500 iguanas are consumed daily in the Juchitán market during Easter Week," explains Juan Celis, head of the organization's iguana care centre. This centre was created in 2005 with the aim of breeding, rearing and releasing iguanas to prevent the extinction of this species.

"We cannot ban their consumption, but we believe that we must provide alternatives to preserve the species," said Celis, who warned that consuming iguanas during their breeding season "does not guarantee the preservation of the species. He recalled that, due to the consumption of iguana tamales during Easter Week, in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec region, "there are no longer any iguanas left to sell on a large scale" and most of them are exported from the states of Chiapas and Veracruz.

The preparation of the tamales, with a traditional recipe passed down from mother to daughter, can take up to twelve hours. The price per unit rises due to the demand during Easter Week, and is usually around 25 Mexican pesos (1.3 dollars). The iguana is an animal present in the Zapotec culture that predominated in this region in pre-Hispanic times. "He's a very tasty, very clean animal. It's like eating a chicken, but it's an iguana," they say.

There are about 20 iguana species in Mexico, 11 of which are endangered, according to the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Iguana populations have been reduced in the Mexican states of Sinaloa and Veracruz in Mexico, and even in Brazil and Paraguay, mainly due to uncontrolled hunting and the gradual destruction of their habitat.

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