Only the females are eaten. When people consume females that lay eggs, the iguanas stop to reproduce.
“Consuming reptile is still practiced and part of Juchitán’s traditions. For example, during current Easter festivities, which is a part of the Catholic religion that converted Juchitán. But the origins of people consuming reptile species can be traced back to the Zapotec era, through paintings and sculptures from more than 500 years B.C.
Only the females are eaten, often together with their eggs. When people only consume females that lay eggs, the iguanas stop to reproduce. Here, we are cultivating iguanas to preserve biodiversity.
Iguanas exist in many places, from the cities of the Galapagos, the Cayman cities, parts of Columbia, Ecuador, Brazil. However, the iguana species that exist in these countries are very different from the ones we have here.
In this region we have three iguana species, the Black Iguana, the Green Iguana, and a small iguana called the Iguana Oaxaqueña.
The last one is unique for this region because they do not register anywhere else. And to satisfy local demand we have built an iguana farm.”
