The state of Oaxaca has a legacy of a complex pre-Hispanic history and a heterogeneous ethnic and social make-up. There are three main population groups: indigenous communities (which have kept alive the traditions and ways of life particular to their respective ethnic groups, such as the small-scale economy, including production for family consumption) mestizo communities (which have undergone a process of acculturation, including changing their political outlooks and identities, and which have achieved greater economic development) and the cities, urban areas whose populations are mostly mestizos, with a minority of indigenous peoples who have emigrated in search of employment and opportunities.²

According to the eleventh general census (INEGI, 1990), Oaxaca saw its population increase from 2,369,076 in 1980 to 3,019,560 in 1990, a 2.5% annual growth. Population density is 32 persons per sq km (the national average is 41). It is a very young population, as 50% of Oaxacans are under 19 years of age, and 42.6% are under 15 years. Males account for 49% of the total, females 51%.

Similarly, the population of Oaxaca has three main features: it is predominantly rural, the communities are highly dispersed, and the indigenous communities account for the majority and are heterogeneous. Despite these principal components, there is a growing trend to urbanization, mainly to cities such as Oaxaca de Juárez, Tuxtepec, Juchitán, Salina Cruz, and Tehuantepec.⁴

Sixty percent of the population lives in the rural area. The population is distributed across 570 municipalities, in a total of 7,210 localities (4.6% of the total number of localities in Mexico). Nonetheless, 98% of these population centers have less than 2,500 inhabitants5 (i.e. only 134 localities have more than 2,500 inhabitants) and they account for 40% of the population. Oaxaca de Juárez is the largest city and is growing five times faster than the state population, at an average of 12% annually. The population's dispersion makes it difficult to deliver services, channel resources, and undertake economic activities for the growth and survival of these pueblos.