Highway to Oaxaca: Ruta Coatlanes
THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE SUPER HIGHWAY 175 D was a God-send for the communities of the Coatlanes which it passed through, and a nightmare for ICA which was responsible for the project from 2012 t0 2016. The local communities mostly benefitted from land sales for off-road construction sites and from construction jobs – not to mention food and lodging. ICA and other companies had to deal with work stoppages because of disputes between the various communities the highway passes through.
In 2013 San Antonio Lalana threatened the project, including the construction of the San Antonio tunnel, if it didn’t get 3-phase electric power and if the Federal and State authorities did not resolve its land issue with San Sebastián Coatlán. Papers were signed, promises made, and, in the end, nothing got resolved but after some delays work was restarted. For many years no work could be done on the San Sebastián Coatlán tunnel because of a land dispute with San Pablo Coatlán. To name but a few of the stoppages.
The conflicts and stoppages were never ending. Once an agreement was reached with one community, another stepped up. Afterall, the highway was designed to provide a quick (2.5 hours) drive from Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido, not to provide services to the mountain communities of the Coatlanes, whose inhabitants shop, bank and receive medical care in Miahuatlán, not the city of Oaxaca, and who have no interest in going to the beach.
So what to do when the highway was completed and the local communities lost a lot of income? Of course, the highway can help with the transport of honey and coffee from San Sebastián and sugar cane and bananas from San Antonio Lalana, not to mention the mezcal and crafts from San Vicente, the only community on the route where the people speak Zapotec.
Four years ago, Orlando Contreras Cruz of San Pablo Coatlán had the idea of starting a minivan service that would go from Puerto Escondido to Oaxaca, making stops along the route. Ruta Coatlanes – Costa S.A. de C.V. was formed in 2022. It has 91 partners, all of whom are residents of the Coatlanes. It began operations on February 5 as soon as the highway opened.
As of May, 2024, Ruta Coatlanes has 63 vans running every 20 minutes from 3 a.m. to 10 p.m. from two depots in Puerto and one in Oaxaca. Some of the vans are owned by the drivers. In June service is to begin from Miahuatlán to Puerto Escondido.
A junction is now being built to connect the highway to San Antonio Lalana, which is already connected to the Loxichas a few hours away. So yes, thanks to Ruta Coatlán, the people of the mountains will be able to benefit from the highway.
You can call to reserve a seat along the route in Yogana, San Vicente Coatlán, San Pedro Coatlán, Santa Catarina Coatlán, San Pablo Coatlán, San Sebastián Coatlán, San Francisco Coatlán, Cieneguilla Coatlán, San Antonio Lalana, Comitlán Coatlán, Sta María Colotepec.
The van leaves you at the side of the highway where taxis will pick you up.
Oaxaca: calle Armenta y López 1020, (951) 351 3307, (951) 530 2667.
Puerto Escondido: Av. Hidalgo 102, Centro, next to Banorte. (954) 166 2849.
Carretera Costera, Colonia Lázaro Cárdenas, opposite the Zicatela roundabout. (954) 164 3176.