The Mixteca Alta Geopark project arose from the joint participation of municipal authorities, educational institutions and the local population in order to develop a scheme for the sustainable use of resources. It arose with two approaches, one educational, which would allow the extraordinary natural and social-historical heritage of the region to be made known, and the other geotourism, conceived as a tool that would contribute to the wellbeing of its inhabitants.

The project was born in the municipality of Santo Domingo Yanhuitlán, where the central headquarters of the Geopark is located, and later eight other municipalities were incorporated.