Scenic lookouts that hang out over a deep canyon in the mountains of Oaxaca are intended to bring more tourists to an area whose principal export has been migrants to the United States.

The lookouts have been built in Santos Reyes Tepejillo on the edge of the Ñuu Kava canyon, where residents are promoting canyoneering and other ecotourism activities.

Ñuu Kava is known for its caves in the sheer canyon walls where there are indications of a human presence at some point in the past, despite the difficulty of access.

A community tourism organization offers tours of the canyon and an opportunity to experience local culture, including the regional cuisine.

One example of that cuisine is atole, a corn-based, pre-Hispanic dish that is celebrated annually with a two-day Atoles Festival. The third such event was held last weekend.

The two new lookouts have been built with financial aid from the Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples, which provided 800,000 pesos in funding to improve tourism infrastructure.

Santos Reyes is located in Oaxaca’s lower Mixteca region from which a large number of people have left to find a better life either in the north of Mexico or in the U.S.

Many families rely on remittance payments from those who have left.

Source: NVI Noticias (sp), El Imparcial (sp)