The community of Puerto Arista is located in the municipality of Tonalá, twenty two km from the municipal seat and sixteen km off Federal Highway 200. The area is part of the Istmo-Costa region of the state, itself part of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. This coast area is a strip of land wedged between the Sierra Madre de Chiapas mountains and the Pacific Ocean . This area is mostly filled with small towns and ranches with extensive pasture for cattle, the main economic activity for this region. Some of the nearby communities include Cabeza de Toro, which straddles the road linking Puerta Arista and Boca del Cielo, both on the La Joya Lagoon.