Veracruz

The state

Get to know Veracruz

Veracruz stretches for more than 600 km along the Gulf of Mexico, from the coastal tropical plain to the mountains where Pico de Orizaba, the country's highest point, is located. It was there that the Spaniards arrived in 1519, and the state's culture blends indigenous, Spanish and African roots, with the music of son jarocho and the danzón.

The port of Veracruz has a historic center, a malecón and the fortress of San Juan de Ulúa, which defended the bay's entrance for centuries. The Carnival of Veracruz, held before Lent, is one of Mexico's liveliest. Tlacotalpan, on the banks of the Papaloapan River, is a town of houses with arcades painted in bright colors, a World Heritage Site.

In the north, El Tajín, a Totonac city and World Heritage Site, has the Pyramid of the Niches, with 365 niches on its façade. In Papantla, the voladores, an intangible UNESCO heritage, spin around a tall pole, suspended by ropes, in an ancient ceremony. Xalapa, the capital, houses the Museum of Anthropology with colossal Olmec heads, and nearby Coatepec is coffee country.

In the highlands, Pico de Orizaba, over 5,600 meters high, can be seen from afar on clear days, and in the south the Los Tuxtlas region has Lake Catemaco and tropical rainforest. At the table, pescado a la veracruzana with tomato, olives and capers, and the gulf's seafood.