Erosion, Culture and Geoheritage; the Case of Santo Domingo Yanhuitlan, Oaxaca, M,xico

The Mixteca Alta has some of the most important traces of Mesoamerican culture and is characterized by a variety of conspicuous erosional features strongly related to traditional farming practices carried out for more than 3500 years. These features represent a valuable geoheritage that can show the relationship between geology and society and promote the knowledge of Earth sciences among members of the general and specialized public. These erosional features include gullies, badlands, erosive amphitheatres derived from fluvial and mass-wasting processes, alluvial deposits, palaeosols and water and sediment traps used for farming purposes (locally known as lamabordos). Other sites of interest include examples of intrusive magmatic dikes, spheroidal weathering and sites of palaeontological interest. The identification of these sites leads to the proposal of three geotrails; these represent the basis for geotourism in the study area, as an alternative for local economic development.