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Top Attractions in Veracruz

Papantla

Papantla is a city and municipality located in the north of the state of Veracruz, Mexico, in the Sierra Papanteca range and on the Gulf of Mexico. The city was founded in the 13th century by the Totonacs and has dominated the Totonacapan region of the state since then. This is the home of vanilla, which is native to this region, the Danza de los Voladores and the El Tajín archeological site, which was named a World Heritage Site. Papantla still has strong communities of Totonacs who maintain the culture and language. The city contains a number of large scale murals and sculptures done by native artist Teodoro Cano García, which honor the Totonac culture. The name Papantla is from Nahuatl and most often interpreted to mean "place of the papanes" . This meaning is reflected in the municipality’s coat of arms.

San Carlos Fortress

The San Carlos Fortress is an 18th-century fortress in the city of Perote, in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It is also known as the Fort of San Carlos, Perote Castle, the Castle of San Carlos, Perote Prison, San Carlos de Perote Fortress, and San Carlos de Perote Castle. The fortress was built from 1770 to 1776 by Manuel de Santisteban as a guard post and repository for treasure prior to shipment to Spain. After the Mexican War of Independence, the remaining Spanish colonial troops were garrisoned in the neighboring castle of San Juan de Ulúa, prompting General Guadalupe Victoria to create, on 11 October 1823, the first military college in the new country: the Perote Military College. Between 1841 and 1844, soldiers from the Republic of Texas, survivors of the Texan Santa Fe Expedition, the Dawson Massacre, and the Mier Expedition, were imprisoned here. 300 or so members of the failed Santa Fe expedition were held in the fortress during the winter of 1841-42. Then in December of 1842, about fifty men who had been captured in San Antonio by General Adrián Woll, including fifteen from Dawsons company, were confined. The following year, approximately 160 survivors of the 1842-43 Mier Expedition, an offshoot of the Somervell Expedition, after being used through the summer as laborers to work on roads near Mexico City, were taken to the Perote Prison in September of 1843. The last of all these Texan prisoners, numbering by then about 105, were not released until a year later, in September of 1844. Many had died from wounds, disease, or starvation; and several prisoners had managed to escape, or were released earlier in response to U.S. diplomatic efforts.) In March of 1843, Guadalupe Victoria, who had served as Mexicos first President in the 1820s, died in the San Carlos Fortress complex. He suffered from epilepsy and was receiving medical treatment in Perote. During the Mexican-American War, American forces captured the fortress. They garrisoned it as a post to protect their line of communications between Veracruz and Mexico City from guerrillas. At the very end of the Second World War, after Mexico declared war against the Axis alliance, the facility served as a prison for German and Italian citizens. Then the fortress became a state prison, from 1949 to March 2007, after which it was opened to the public.

El Tajín

El Tajín is a pre-Columbian archeological site in southern Mexico and is one of the largest and most important cities of the Classic era of Mesoamerica. A part of the Classic Veracruz culture, El Tajín flourished from 600 to 1200 C.E. and during this time numerous temples, palaces, ballcourts, and pyramids were built. From the time the city fell, in 1230, to 1785, no European seems to have known of its existence, until a government inspector chanced upon the Pyramid of the Niches. El Tajín was named a World Heritage site in 1992, due to its cultural importance and its architecture. This architecture includes the use of decorative niches and cement in forms unknown in the rest of Mesoamerica. Its best-known monument is the Pyramid of the Niches, but other important monuments include the Arroyo Group, the North and South Ballcourts and the palaces of Tajín Chico. In total there have been 20 ballcourts discovered at this site, . Since the 1970s, El Tajin has been the most important archeological site in Veracruz for tourists, attracting over 650,000 visitors a year. It is also the site of the annual Cumbre Tajin Festival, which occurs each March featuring indigenous and foreign cultural events as well as concerts by popular musicians.

Cofre de Perote

Cofre de Perote, originally Naupa-Tecutépetl, is known also as Nauhcampatépetl. Both Nahuatl names mean something like Place of Four Mountain or Mountain of the Lord of Four Places. This extinct volcano is located in the Mexican state of Veracruz, at the point where the Trans-Mexican volcanic belt, home to all of Mexicos highest peaks, joins the Sierra Madre Oriental. This volcano is shaped very differently from the strato-volcanic Pico de Orizaba, which lies to the south of it, being broad and shield-shaped. A cofre is a coffer, and the name alludes to a volcanic outcropping like a boss on the shield, which constitutes the peak of the mountain. It is outlined against the clouds in the information-box picture, and is easily visible in the picture below. To the north of the Cofre is the town of Perote, after which the mountain is named. Cofre de Perote is also the name of a Mexican national park where the volcano is located. The Nauhcampatépetl is an excellent place for camping, hiking and other outdoor activities.

Veracruz

Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located along the coast in the central part of the state, 90 km southeast of the state capital Xalapa along Federal Highway 140. It is the states most populous city, with a population that is greater than the municipalitys population, as part of the city of Veracruz extends into the neighboring Boca del Río Municipality. At the 2010 census, the city had 554,830 inhabitants, 428,323 in Veracruz Municipality and 126,507 in Boca del Río Municipality. Developed during Spanish colonization, Veracruz has been Mexico’s oldest, largest, and historically most significant port. When the Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés arrived in Mexico in 1519, he founded a city here, which he named Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz, referring to the area’s gold and dedicated to the "True Cross", because he landed on the Christian holy day of Good Friday, the day of the Crucifixion. It was the second Spanish settlement on the mainland of the Americas but the first to receive a coat-of-arms. During the colonial period, this city had the largest mercantile class and was at times wealthier than the capital of Mexico City. Its wealth attracted the raids of 17th-century pirates, against which fortifications such as Fort San Juan de Ulúa were built. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Veracruz was invaded on different occasions by France and the United States; during the 1914 Tampico Affair, US troops occupied the city for seven months. For much of the 20th century, the production of petroleum was most important for the states economy but, in the latter 20th century and into the 21st, the port has re-emerged as the main economic engine. It has become the principal port for most of Mexico’s imports and exports, especially for the automotive industry. Veracruz has a blend of cultures, mostly indigenous, ethnic Spanish and Afro-Cuban. The influence of these three is best seen in the food and music of the area, which has strong Spanish, Caribbean and African influences.

Tampico Bridge

The Tampico Bridge is a vehicular cable-stayed bridge in Mexico, located on the Pánuco River in the city of Tampico, Tamaulipas, near to the Gulf of Mexico. The bridge has been in service since 1988 and was designed by Professor Modesto Armijo from COMEC, a Mexican engineering company. It was designed to withstand the severe hurricanes of the Gulf of Mexico. It connects the states of Tamaulipas and Veracruz. The bridge uses an orthotropic steel deck girder for a central section of the 360 m long main span, while the rest of the main span and the short lateral spans are a prestressed concrete girder. Both steel and concrete deck girders have the same external shape. This original principle was later used at the French Normandy cable-stayed bridge . The dynamic analysis of the bridge under turbulent cyclonic winds, as well as the revision of the structural project, and the geometry plus stress control of the bridge during erection, were achieved by Alain Chauvin from Sogelerg, using the French "Scanner" computer program.

Veracruz Mexico Temple

The Veracruz Mexico Temple, located in Boca del Río in the Mexican state of Veracruz, is the 93rd operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . The LDS Church announced on April 14, 1999 that a temple would be built near the Mexican port city of Veracruz, Veracruz. The Veracruz temple, located in the adjacent city of Boca del Río some 10 km south of downtown Veracruz, is one of twelve LDS temples in Mexico. Previously, local members had to travel to the Mesa Arizona Temple in the United States. The first Mormon missionaries arrived in Veracruz in 1955. The first meetinghouse was built in 1961. At the dedication of the meetinghouse nearly 700 people were in attendance even though the meetinghouse would serve not quite 400. After the dedication of the meetinghouse the missionary work in the area grew rapidly. A groundbreaking ceremony and site dedication for the Veracruz México Temple were held on May 29, 1999, with Carl B. Pratt, of the Seventy, presiding. Around 600 people attended the ceremony. The temple site is 3.39 acres , which includes a meetinghouse. The temple was open for tours to the public from June 26 through July 1, 2000. More than 10,000 people toured the temple during this time. Thomas S. Monson, of the church's First Presidency, dedicated the Veracruz temple on July 9, 2000. Four sessions were held and more than 5,000 members attended. The temple serves nine stakes, two districts, and two branches in the area. The Veracruz México Temple has a total of 10,700 square feet , two ordinance rooms, and two sealing rooms.

Los Tuxtlas

Los Tuxtlas is a region in the south of the Mexican state of Veracruz. Politically it refers to four municipalities: Catemaco, San Andrés Tuxtla, Santiago Tuxtla and Hueyapan de Ocampo. It also refers to a high complex natural ecosystem, an isolated volcanic mountain range next to the Gulf of Mexico, home to the northern edge of tropical rainforest in the Americas. Although seriously deforested, most of it is under protection as the Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, which stretches over eight municipalities, centering on the four mentioned above. The area’s early history was influenced by the Olmecs but had its own trajectory. In the colonial period, the population became a mix of indigenous, African and European. For all its history until the present, it has been rural and agricultural. Today one of its notable crops is tobacco. However, conservation efforts since the 1970s have promoted ecotourism, especially in Catemaco.

Eyipantla Falls

Eyipantla Falls is a waterfall located in the Los Tuxtlas region of southern Veracruz in Mexico.It is forty meters wide and fifty meters tall and is the largest and most important waterfall in the region. It is located in the municipality of San Andrés Tuxtla in the south of Veracruz, Mexico, ten km from the city of San Andrés Tuxtla. It is part of the Catemaco River, which drains Lake Catemaco towards the Gulf of Mexico . The name Eyipantla is from Nahuatl and means, “three streams of water.” According to legend, the rain god Tlaloc was said to reside here. The water that falls is divided by rocks forming streams, especially in the drier seasons. It is a major tourist attraction, visited by over 500 people per day, with restaurants and souvenir stands crowding the entrance and parts of the waterfall area itself.Visitors can view the falls from two perspectives, from below and from a platform at the top. The upper point also allows for views of the surrounding mountains and river. Access to the bottom involves descending 244 stairs. Two films have been shot here, Medicine Man with Sean Connery in the early 1990s and Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto in 2006.

Cempoala

Cempoala or Zempoala is an important Mesoamerican archaeological site located in the Úrsulo Galván Municipality, in the state of Veracruz. The word "Cēmpoalli" means twenty and "ā ", means water, hence "twenty waters" perhaps because the city had a lot of aqueducts which provided the vital fluid to the numerous gardens and surrounding farmland fields and irrigation channels. The place was inhabited mainly by Totonacs, Chinantecas and Zapotecs. Another version considers it is probable, the name referred to commercial activities, according to some sources, these activities were performed every 20 days in prehispanic times. A different version suggests the name meant “Abundant Water”. It was one of the most important Totonac settlements during the postclassical Mesoamerican period and the capital of the kingdom of Totonacapan occupied by the Totonac people The name comes from the Nahuatl word Cēmpoalli, as Cēmpoal means twenty and ā means water, hence "twenty waters" perhaps because the city had a lot of irrigation canals and aqueducts which provided vital fluid to numerous gardens and surrounding farmland fields. Another version considers that probably the name refers to commercial activities, that according to some sources, were carried out every 20 days in pre-Hispanic times. It was one of the most important Tepehua settlements during the post-classic period. According to some sources, the city was originally founded at least 1,500 years before the Spaniards arrival and there is evidence of Olmec influence. Although not much is known about the Preclassical and Classic Era, the Preclassical town was built on mounds to protect it from floods. The Totonacs moved into the area during the Toltec Empire peak, having been forced out of their settlements on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Madre Oriental. The totonacs ruled the area of Totonacapan which consisted of the northern part of Veracruz together with the Zacatlán district of Puebla with a total population of approximately 250,000 and some 50 towns. At its peak, Cempoala had a population of between 25,000 and 30,000. Cempoala was the Totonac capital and was occupied by totonacs, chinantecas and Zapotec becoming the largest city in the Gulf. In its apogee, had a population of between 25,000 and 30,000 people and was one of the most important Totonaca settlements during the post-classic period. It is located one kilometer from the shore of the Actopan River and six kilometres from the coast.

Parque Juárez

Parque Juárez is a public park in the city of Xalapa, in the state of Veracruz in eastern Mexico. It was inaugurated in 1892 and named in honor of Benito Juárez, 20 years after his death. The park is located in central Xalapa with a terrace-like appearance adjoining the Palacio de Gobierno building, across the street from the Palacio Municipal and close to the Cathedral. The southern side of the park looks over the valley below, offering scenic views of the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains: Cofre de Perote to the West and snowcapped Pico de Orizaba to the South. Since the early 16th century, the site had been the location of the Monastery of San Francisco. In 1922, the Junta de Obras Materiales de Jalapa, presided by William K. Boone, proposed, designed and built a ramp to make it easier for vehicles to reach the center of the city from the train station. In 1930, the rampa del Parque Juárez was renamed Paseo del Ayuntamiento and afterwards Paseo de la Constitución. At about the middle of the ramp there are four statues that represent the Cardinal Virtues: Fortitude, Justice, Prudence and Temperance. The first three were set in 1931; the last one in 1979. The central garden of the park features enormous araucaria trees, some of which were brought to México as a present to Porfirio Díaz by the ambassador from Chile, some time before the inauguration of the park in 1892. This park is conveniently located in the center and it is one of the most popular attractions in Xalapa. It offers amazing views of the cathedral, the state government building and you can look out over Xalapa’s valley and relax. You can buy snacks at the little stalls in the park. If you don’t want to eat it all, you can give the leftovers to the pigeons that live in the park. There are also people who dress up as their favourite childrens movie or videogame characters and act like statues. However, when they are given a coin they make some kind of movement to give you a paper which has a phrase on it before returning to act as statues again. Also within the park, there are art galleries, an agora, workshops, an auditorium and a café.

El Cuajilote

El Cuajilote or Filobobos is an archeological site of the Totonac Culture, located in the Tlapacoyan municipality, Veracruz state, México. Just as in many other Mesoamerican sites, the original name is unknown and arbitrarily names are assigned, sometimes local names are used, in this case, the name “El Cuajilote” derives from the “Chote” tree from the Totonac region, although the tree is scarce in the area nowadays. This site is part of the Filobobos zone, where vestiges of at least six archaeological sites are known. Currently only two have been explored; Vega de la Peña and El Cuajilote. Cuajilote, is also the name of a tree , also known as huachilote or monkey cocoa, typical of low deciduous forest, exist in broad territories in the South and Centre Mexico. According to INAH the Filobobos name derives from the local sharp profiles of gorges and ravines, created by a geologic phenomenon from the Cenozoic era, and of “”bobos”, name of an almost extinct fish variety, very appreciated in the region. The gorges and water falls, have allowed a natural preservation of the Filobobos Archeological Site. It is a very fertile region and from prehispanic time it has been an important natural communication corridor between the Central Plateau and the Gulf of Mexico, used by diverse ethnic groups for travels, in the process of commercial and cultural trade.

La Joya

La Joya is a mesoamerican prehispanic archeological site, located in the municipality of Medellín, Veracruz in central Veracruz, Mexico, about 15 kilometers from the Veracruz City, near the confluence of the Jamapa and Cotaxtla Rivers. The site, discovered and registered in 1935, is known as “La Joya de San Martin Garabato” and comprises several earthen structures from an alleged early Olmec origin. Remains of a continued human occupation throughout the classical period have been found), about 95% of the structures are destroyed by the common human carelessness and destruction. This city probably was an important political center in Veracruz, similar to Cerro de las Mesas, with monumental stamped earthen architecture. Two monumental platforms, apparently palatial residences, revealed a chronology during the first millennium CE, suggesting a well-organized society, providing new information on the Protoclassical and Classical society.
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