Save the Iguanas!
IGUANAS HAVE BEEN A FEDERALLY protected species in Mexico since 2010. It is illegal to kill them, much less to sell tamales de iguana. And yet, tamales de iguana are sold on the streets of Puerto Escondido. So are turtle eggs, another illegal activity.
Don Galo y su esposa, Doña Teresita, “La Leona”.
Galo Sánchez Ríos, a native of the Barra de Navidad, has dedicated the past 20 years to saving the iguanas from extinction. He raises them in an iguana reserve (iguanario) on the main street of the Barra de Navidad, to release them at six months into the mountains of Santa María Colotepec next to communities that have promised not to kill them.
Iguanas only mate once a year, and a pregnant iguana is most valued in the preparation of some moles and el amarillo de iguana, local delicacies. Besides poachers, iguanas are threatened by the loss of their native habitat due to all the construction on the Coast.
Don Galo’s wife, Teresita “la Leona”, Sánchez Cruz, and their two daughters and a son-in-law have a restaurant, Comedor la Leona, and a taqueria, Taco Barreño, next to the elementary school Ignacio Mariscal on the Barra de Navidad’s main street. The Comedor is open from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Taqueria is open from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Both are closed on Tuesdays.
The iguanario is free but donations are greatly appreciated. It’s open 7 days a week. You can find Don Galo at the comedor, which is just a short walk to the site. You can also call him or send a WhatsApp to 954 162 3969 to schedule a tour.
