The Zapotec of the Sierra Norte (also locally called the Sierra Juárez), who are self-identified as the Bene Xhon (or Bene Ya’a), are part of the greater ethno-linguistic group with the largest part of their population found in the District of Villa Alta, followed by the District of Ixtlán, with smaller numbers in the District of Choapam, and in some communities in Tlacolula.
According to the 2005 census, in the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca Zapotec speakers live in the following districts:
Ixtlán de Juárez 15,196
Villa Alta 22,063
Choapam 2,905
Within the 50 municipios that form this region, a total Zapotec population of roughly 50,000 (including children below the age of 5) represents an estimated 62 percent of the overall population, and 91 percent of the total indigenous population.