The Sierra Mixe are to the east, as the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca descends towards the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, lies t, home to the Mixe people, descendants of the Ancient Olmecs of Mexico's Gulf Coast. The major Mixe centers are San Pablo & San Pedro Ayutla, Santiago Zacatepec, and Santa María Totontepec, and the major peak of the area is Zempoateptl, the sacred mountain of the Mixe people.