Poza Rica

Poza Rica grew up on petroleum and sits in the heart of Totonac country. A trip to Poza Rica is, above all, the best base for visiting the ruined city of El Tajín, vanilla villages, and the Voladores of Papantla.

The "Rich Pool"

The name means "rich puddle" – and in the 1930s, oil really did gush from the ground here. A city sprang up within a few decades on the grounds of former estates, whose names, such as Lote San Miguel Mecatepec or Poza de Cuero, still appear today in land registries and neighborhood names. In 1938, President Lázaro Cárdenas nationalized the oil industry, and Poza Rica became a hub of the state-owned company Pemex. As production has declined, the city has turned more toward commerce, but it remains the economic center of northern Veracruz.

Sights in and Around Poza Rica

The city itself is functional: locals gather at Parque Juárez in the evening, the monument to the oil workers recalls the city's founding story, and the Cazones River adds a bit of green to the cityscape. The real reason to visit lies about 9 miles (15 km) to the south: El Tajín, one of the most important pre-Columbian cities in Mexico and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Pyramid of the Niches with its 365 niches, several ball courts with reliefs, and the sprawling complex set in tropical greenery impress even visitors who already know Teotihuacán. At the entrance, the Voladores perform their ritual: four men launch themselves headfirst from a tall pole on ropes while a fifth plays a flute at the top. In March, the Cumbre Tajín festival takes place in the area, with music and Totonac culture. Nearby Papantla is the vanilla capital, with an attractive main square and murals.

Eating in Poza Rica

The cuisine of northern Veracruz blends the Gulf Coast and the Huasteca. Typical dishes include zacahuil, a giant tamal cooked in an earth oven, bocoles made from corn dough, enchiladas with pumpkin seed sauce, and fresh fish from Tuxpan. Papantla vanilla shows up in liqueurs, desserts, and as fragrant braided figures at the markets. Restaurants in Poza Rica are inexpensive, and marisquerías (seafood restaurants) beckon along the road to Tuxpan.

Vanilla and Totonac Culture

The region around Poza Rica and Papantla is the historic home of vanilla. The Totonacs cultivated the orchid long before the Spanish arrived, and until the 19th century nearly the entire world's supply came from here. Every blossom is still pollinated by hand, and the pods are fermented in the sun for weeks. In villages in the area, you can visit cooperatives. The Centro de las Artes Indígenas near El Tajín preserves the language, folk medicine, pottery, and music of the Totonacs and also trains young Voladores. UNESCO has recognized the ritual as intangible cultural heritage.

Getting There and Best Time to Visit

The regional airport in Tihuatlán has connections to Mexico City. By bus, it takes about five hours to Mexico City and a little longer to Veracruz City. There are beaches near Tuxpan and on the Costa Esmeralda. Northern Veracruz is affected by crime; travelers should travel during the day and check current advisories. The best time to visit is between November and April, when the heat and rain ease. Hurricane season runs from June to October.