La Mixteca is a country of great contrasts. The Sierra Madre del Sur and the Neo-Volcanic Belt mark its northern limits. To the east, it is defined by the
Cuicatlán Valley and the
Central Valleys of Oaxaca. To the west, the Mixteca region is adjacent to the valleys of
Morelos and the central portion of
Guerrero. To the south lies 200 miles of
Pacific Ocean coastline. Because of the presence of the major mountains of the
Sierra Mixteca, communications with the rest of the country are difficult. The region tends to be remote, poor, and little-visited. The region is conventionally divided into three separate areas, defined by the prevailing height of the terrain: • Mixteca Baja ("Low Mixteca"; ''Ñuu I'ni''): northwest Oaxaca and southwest Puebla. • Mixteca Alta ("High Mixteca";
Ñuu Ñuma): northeast Guerrero and western Oaxaca. • Mixteca de la Costa ("Coastal Mixteca"): the area also known as the
Costa Chica, the remote Pacific coastline of
eastern Guerrero and
western Oaxaca, home to Mixteca,
Amuzgo, and
Afro-Mexicans == See also ==