The Mexican Turtle Center emerged as an economic and social alternative due to the effects of the total and permanent ban for the protection of marine chelonians decreed in May 1990. To a large extent, the development not only of Mazunte but of this entire region on the Oaxaca Coast has been linked to sea turtles, and the CMT has been an exhibition window to consolidate this concept. The MTC was created as a link between the sea turtle conservation programs operated by the Federal Government, academic institutions, society, and the communities surrounding the nesting beaches. There are few sites with these characteristics in the world, and the MTC continues to be the only one of its kind not only in Mexico but in all of Latin America. Throughout its almost three decades of operation, the MTC has witnessed and participated in events as relevant as the recovery of the populations that form arribadas on the Escobilla and Morro Ayuta beaches, or the battle that continues to take place for the rescue of the leatherback and black turtles in Barra de la Cruz. For many years, the visiting public has learned first-hand and in real-time of the results.