The State is divided into eight departments, which are subdivided into districts or cantons.
1st. The Department of the Centre, with the cantons of Oajaca, Partido del Toranéo, Etla, Tlacolula, and Zimatlan.
2d. Department of Ejutla, with the cantons of Octolan, Miahuatlan, and Pochutla.
3d. Department of Jamiltepec, with the cantons of Jamiltepec and Juquila.
4th. Department of Tehuantepec, with the cantons of Tehuantepec, Quechapa and Lachixila.
5th. Department of Teposcolula, with the cantons of Teposcolula, Tlaxiaco and Nocnistlan.
6th. Department of Huajuapam, with the cantons of Huajuapam and Justlahuaca.
7th. Department of Toochila and Villalta, with the cantons of Ixtlan, Yalalag and Chuapam.
8th. The Department of Teutitlan del Camino, with the cantons of Teutitlan and Teutila.
These eight departments and twenty-three cantons,—with nearly 700,000 inhabitants,—contain one city,—the capital, Oajaca;—eight towns; nine hundred and thirteen villages; one hundred and thirty-seven large haciendas; two hundred and thirty-five ranchos; sixty-eight sugar mills or trapiches, and six estancias or cattle estates and grazing farms. Besides these elements of agricultural wealth, Oajaca possesses ten mills, driven by water power, nearly all of which lie in the neighborhood of the capital, and are used chiefly for wheat. Corn is ground or rubbed, for tortillas, on the metate by the Indian women throughout Mexico; and consequently but little of this kind of grain is ever brought to the mills. There are five mines or mineral workings in the State, at Ystepéxi, Taléa, Teojomulco, Peñoles, and Las Péras, with ten smelting and amalgamating establishments.