Veracruz

This is where Hernán Cortés landed in 1519, where the silver fleets set sail for centuries, and where the harp and jarana of Son Jarocho still ring out across the plazas today. A vacation in Veracruz takes you along a long strip of coast on the Gulf of Mexico, into mist-shrouded coffee mountains, and all the way to the foot of the country's highest peak.

A State Shaped Like a Narrow Arc

Veracruz stretches roughly 700 kilometers (about 435 miles) along the Gulf Coast, yet in many places it is barely more than 100 kilometers (about 60 miles) wide. Over this short distance, the land climbs from lagoons and mangroves to Pico de Orizaba, also known as Citlaltépetl, which at around 5,600 meters (about 18,400 feet) is Mexico's highest summit. In between lie sugarcane fields, citrus plantations, cloud forest, and rivers that swell mightily in the rainy season. In the south, the volcanic Tuxtlas with Lake Catemaco shape the landscape; in the north, it is the Huasteca with vanilla fields around Papantla.

Port City and State Capital

The city of Veracruz is Mexico's oldest and most important port. The fortress of San Juan de Ulúa, which once protected the harbor, later held political prisoners. In the evening, marimba groups play around the Zócalo, and at the Gran Café de La Parroquia, guests tap a spoon against their glass to get a refill of milk for their lechero. To the south lies Boca del Río, with hotels and seafood restaurants. The state capital, Xalapa, by contrast, sits at around 1,400 meters (about 4,600 feet) in the mountains. It's a university town with green hills and a remarkable anthropology museum. Poza Rica in the north and Coatzacoalcos in the south are shaped by the oil industry, while Orizaba and Córdoba are known for breweries, sugar, and coffee.

Sights in Veracruz

El Tajín near Papantla was a center of the Totonac people; its Pyramid of the Niches, with 365 recesses, is a World Heritage Site. In front of the site, the Voladores perform their ritual: four men hang upside down from ropes and spiral down to the ground from a tall pole. The Museo de Antropología in Xalapa displays monumental Olmec heads from San Lorenzo. Tlacotalpan on the Papaloapan River, also a World Heritage Site, enchants with its colorful colonnaded houses. In the mountains, you'll find Coatepec, a coffee town and Pueblo Mágico, and Xico with its waterfalls. Orizaba has a cable car up Cerro del Borrego and the Palacio de Hierro, a metal building imported from Belgium and often attributed to Gustave Eiffel. In Jalcomulco, you can go rafting on the Río Pescados.

Culture and Festivals

Veracruz is a melting pot of Indigenous, Spanish, and Afro-Caribbean influences. Son Jarocho, made famous by "La Bamba," is danced on wooden platforms at fandangos. The Veracruz Carnival before Lent is considered one of the largest in the country. In Tlacotalpan, the Fiesta de la Candelaria is celebrated in early February with a running of the bulls, music, and a river procession. Around Catemaco, the tradition of the brujos, healers and sorcerers, lives on, and in March a gathering is held there that draws many curious visitors.

Food and Drink

Pescado a la veracruzana, with tomatoes, olives, capers, and chiles, combines Spanish and Mexican ingredients. Other specialties include arroz a la tumbada, a seafood rice dish; picadas and gordas made from corn dough; and zacahuil, a giant tamale from the Huasteca. The jalapeño takes its name from Xalapa and carries the city's name around the world. Highland coffee from Coatepec and Huatusco is among the best in Mexico, and Papantla is famous for its vanilla.

Getting There and Best Time to Visit

Veracruz Airport (VER) has connections to Mexico City and several U.S. cities; there are other airports in Poza Rica, Minatitlán, and Xalapa. Good long-distance buses run between all the larger cities. The best time to visit is the drier period from November to April, though in winter, cold northerly winds known as nortes can bring cool and stormy days. June through October is rainy and hurricane season. In some parts of the state, you should check the security situation before you go.