The water of the lagoon has the color of dark tea, almost amber, where the tannins of the mangroves mix with the salty water of the Pacific Ocean. A few meters away, the open beach showcases gray-blue waves crashing forcefully onto the dark and compact sand, typical of the Oaxacan coastline. Playa La Ventanilla is located in the municipality of Santa María Tonameca, along the Costa Chica of Oaxaca, about 15 kilometers east of Mazunte on the road that runs along the Mexican Pacific.
What makes this place different from any other beach in the region is the close coexistence between opposing ecosystems: the open and violent ocean on one side, the silent and murky lagoon on the other, separated by a thin strip of black sand. Access to the area is managed by a local cooperative of fishermen and guides, the Cooperativa La Ventanilla, founded in the 1990s after coastal communities began to organize to protect sea turtle nesting sites and to develop sustainable tourism as an alternative to intensive fishing.
The crocodile lagoon: an ecosystem to observe in silence
The guides of the cooperative take visitors through the lagoon on small rowboats or slow motorboats, gliding between the aerial roots of the mangroves. The Morelet's crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii) and the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) are present in the area: it is common to spot them motionless on the muddy banks or at the water's surface, with only their eyes and backs visible. The guides know the usual resting spots of the animals and maintain appropriate safety distances, but the closeness is still surprising for those not used to seeing wild reptiles of this size in their natural habitat.
The light inside the mangrove swamp changes completely compared to the open beach: the dense shade of the canopies filters the sun into oblique beams, and the water becomes almost black reflecting the foliage. The smell is typical of tropical estuaries, brackish and organic. The boat tour generally lasts between 45 minutes and an hour, and the indicative cost is around 100-150 Mexican pesos per person, although prices may vary. It is advisable to ask the cooperative directly at the entrance.
Sea turtles and the protection project
Playa La Ventanilla is one of the nesting sites of the olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) along the Oaxacan coast. The cooperative manages a program for collecting and protecting the eggs during the laying season, which mainly focuses on the period between July and December. The nests are transferred to protected nurseries to avoid predation and looting, and the hatched turtles are released into the sea in the presence of visitors.
Those who visit during the right season can participate in the release of the baby turtles, an experience that the guides manage carefully to minimize stress on the animals. It is not a show created for tourists, but a real conservation operation that visitors can witness and contribute to symbolically with a small additional donation. The beach in that stretch is wide and flat, with medium-fine sand and a dark gray color due to the volcanic composition of the sediments.
How to get there and when to visit
The Ventanilla can be reached by car or bus from the city of Pochutla, which is the main transportation hub of the area. From Pochutla, you take the colectivos heading towards Puerto Ángel or Mazunte and get off at the turnoff for La Ventanilla, indicated by signs on the main road. The final stretch from the road to the beach is about a kilometer on unpaved road, which can be walked or taken by mototaxi.
The best time to visit is early in the morning, preferably before 9:00 AM, when the light is side-lit and more photogenic, the temperature is bearable, and the lagoon is calmer. With low tide, the water level drops and crocodiles tend to be more visible on the banks. It is advisable to avoid the central hours of the day when the heat is intense and many animals take refuge in the shade of the vegetation. The period between November and April, during the dry season, offers more stable weather conditions and calmer seas.
The atmosphere and what to expect
The Ventanilla does not have elaborate accommodation facilities or developed tourist spots. At the entrance of the cooperative, there are some palm trees, a small area with tables where local families sell simple food, and the docks from which the boats depart. The atmosphere is that of a place that still operates at a community level, where the village children grow up knowing the names of the crocodiles in the lagoon and where artisanal fishing coexists with ecotourism.
The beach open to the Pacific is buffeted by a constant wind that brings refreshment but also high waves and dangerous currents: it is not suitable for swimming for those who are not expert swimmers. The value of the place lies entirely in observation: the dirty emerald color of the estuary water, the birds flying over the mangroves, the silence interrupted only by the oar gliding through the water and the occasional call of a heron.
