Costa Chica cuisine (Guerrero/Oaxaca coast)

Costa Chica is the Pacific coastal region spanning Guerrero and Oaxaca, with Afro-Mexican and Indigenous (Amuzgo, Mixtec) populations. Distinctive dishes include relleno de puerco (stuffed pork), iguana mole amarillo (yellow mole with iguana), and chilate (a drink). Iguana mole amarillo is a thickened hoja santa blend of yellow chiles costeños, served with corn tortillas ^[1]. Iguana is also prepared as tamales de iguana, a popular evening snack sold by itinerant vendors on Costa beaches ^[1]. These dishes originate from San Pedro Pochutla in Oaxaca’s Costa province ^[1]. In Los Angeles, Sabores Oaxaqueños (Koreatown) represents Costa Chica cuisine, with owners Valentín and Germán Granja having family roots in the Costa region ^[1]. The restaurant serves iguana tamales, mole amarillo de iguana, and salsa de chicatanas (flying ants) ^[1]. The Granja family connection to Costa Chica is deepened through Valentín’s marriage to Analilia, whose mother Dominga Velasco Rodriguez learned to make iguana tamal in the Costa ^[1]. Mexican-origin ingredients used include chile (yellow chiles costeños), corn (tortillas), and hoja santa ^[1].