Sights in Central Gulf Coast
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Baluarte de Santiago
Until 1880 Veracruz was a walled city surrounded by mighty medieval defenses. Baluarte de Santiago, the only surviving fort of nine, was built in 1526 beside what was then the waterfront. A small exhibit of pre-Hispanic gold jewelry is inside. The price covers admission to the fort’s interior, but you can walk around the outside battlements for free.
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Reserva Ecológica de Nanciyaga
On the northeast shore of the lake, the well-established Reserva Ecológica de Nanciyaga preserves a small tract of rainforest. The grounds are replete with a temascal, an ancient planetarium and Olmec-themed decorations and replicas. Even though it plays up the contrived indigenous theme, this place stands out for its organization and cleanliness. One night’s lodging (M$900) in solar-powered cabins includes a mineral mud bath, a massage, a guided walk and the use of kayaks. You have to walk to the bathrooms, so it’s a mix of rustic and high-quality. It’s not for everyone, but it provides an incredible experience for those who want to be very close to nature while being r…
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Veracruz Harbor
Veracruz' harbor is still busy. The Paseo del Malecón (also called Insurgentes) is a pleasant waterfront walk, starting with the Plaza de las Artesanías which has stalls selling a kaleidoscopic selection of tacky souvenirs. Stroll out along the malecón (waterfront boulevard) and view the ships, cranes and ancient fortress across the water, or take a sightseeing boat trip for a closer look.
At the corner of Blvd Camacho are monuments to those who defended the city against the Americans in 1914 and to all sailors who gave their lives to the sea. The high-rise Pemex building here is an early example of modern Mexican architecture; built in 1940, it now houses Pemex office…
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Quiahuiztlán
You’d want to be buried here too: this pre-Hispanic cemetery is situated on verdant foothills with a sweeping vista of the coast and is guarded by a towering rocky outcrop, locally known as Cerro los Metates. The site has two pyramids, more than 70 tombs (each resembling a small temple) and some carved monuments. It’s a gorgeous, 25-minute walk to the part that overlooks the ocean. Plus, you can experience this sacred Totonac site in solitude and amid nature, unlike other, touristed ruins. If you want to arrive by a Hwy 180 bus, have the driver drop you at the Quiahuiztlán turnoff. From there it’s a pretty 3km walk uphill.
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Las Pozas
Xilitla’s famous attraction is Las Pozas, a bizarre but beautiful linked series of concrete temples, pagodas, bridges, pavilions, sculptures and spiral stairways built adjacent to an idyllic series of waterfalls. This surreal creation stands as a monument to the imagination and excessive wealth of Edward James, as well as to the expertise of site manager Plutarco Gastelum and the skill of local workers who cast the elaborate constructions in the 1960s and 1970s. Though the project was never completed – the jungle encroaches on the half-finished structures – this is an amazing place.
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Parque Ecológico Paso Coyol
Parque Ecológico Paso Coyol is a jewel in the urban rough. The neighborhood joined with the government to turn what was once a 4-hectare abandoned lot overrun by ‘delinquents’ into a park. Now this eco-conscious park is patronized by cordobeses, who run and walk trails that snake around gardens corralled by old tires and plastic bottles. Your meager entrance fee pays for both campesinos and biologists alike to maintain the place. Follow Calle 3 south from the Plaza de Armas for 1.5km. The street changes names, weaves through a suburb and bottoms out at the park.
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Museo de la Amistad México-Cuba
The Museo de la Amistad México-Cuba has a room filled with displays on José Martí and pictures of Che Guevara and Castro as well as other memorabilia. Fidel Castro stayed in this suburban house in 1956 while planning the infiltration of Cuba. On November 26 a private yacht loaded with 82 revolutionaries set sail from here to Cuba to start the uprising. To get to the museum, take a boat (M$3) across the river, walk several blocks south to Obregón, then turn right – the museum is at the western end of Obregón on the river.
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Playa Norte
Tuxpan's beach Playa Norte, 12km east of town, is a wide strip stretching 20km north from the Río Tuxpan's mouth. It's still a chilled-out place to eat cheap seafood and take a break from the city. The hydro-electric plant in the backdrop takes away from the ambience, but the water and sand are fairly clean and - holidays and Sundays apart - it's usually empty.
Local buses (around $8, 25 minutes) marked 'Playa' leave regularly from the south side of Blvd Reyes Heroles and drop you at the south end of the beach.
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Acuario de Veracruz
Veracruz’ well-done aquarium is a worthwhile visit, located about 2km south of the city center. There’s a large doughnut-shaped tank filled with sharks, rays and turtles that glide around visitors. Other tanks house freshwater and saltwater fish, reptiles and amphibians, river otters and even manatees. But for a really dramatic encounter climb into the Tiburonería – a transparent safety cage that is lowered into a pool of feeding sharks.
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Museo Ex-Hacienda El Lencero
About 12km southeast of Xalapa on the Veracruz highway, a signposted road branches off to the right for a few kilometers to the impressive Museo Ex-Hacienda El Lencero. Well worth a visit, this grand former estate was one of the first inns between Mexico City and Veracruz. The superbly restored house is furnished with antiques, and the gardens and lake are delightful. Check out the 500-year-old fig tree.
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Tamtoc
The important Huastec ceremonial center of Tamtoc flourished from AD 700 to 1500. Today it’s one of the few maintained Huastec sites. The cleared part of the expansive site is a plaza with platforms made of river stones. Look for a low bench with two conical altars decorated with faded 1000-year-old frescoes believed to represent Quetzalcóatl, the feathered serpent god.
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Malecón
Veracruz' harbor is a busy oil port with rigs off the coast, but that somehow adds to the gritty romanticism of the waterfront walk on the Malecón, starting at the rows of vendor stalls of Plaza de las Artesanías that sell a kaleidoscopic of souvenirs. You'll pass the high-rise Pemex building, an early example of modern Mexican architecture with some interesting murals.
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Biological Research Station
North of the junction to Jicacal, you’ll soon hit the Biological Research Station and will see a handful of camping opportunities, including at Laguna Escondida and Finca Villa Carino. The ornery biologists have a tiny biology museum and limited patience for tourists. They cobbled the roads through their section of the reserve to limit people, speed and traffic.
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Museo de Antropología
The Museo de Antropología has a modest but interesting collection of artifacts that aren’t especially well cared for. You’ll find a fine Aztec ball-court marker, some Olmec figurines and a replica of the magnificent statue of El Señor de Las Limas that resides in Xalapa’s Museo de Antropología. On the 2nd floor there’s a lovely overlook to the mountains.
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El Tajín site
The El Tajín site covers an area of about 10 sq km. To see everything, you’ll walk a few kilometers over a couple of hours. There’s little shade and it can get blazingly hot, so an early start is recommended. Most buildings and carvings here are labeled in English and Spanish, and some have information panels in German and French as well.
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Salto de Eyipantla
Twelve kilometers southeast of San Andrés, a 242-step staircase leads down to the impressive Salto de Eyipantla, a 50m-high, 40m-wide waterfall. Follow Hwy 180 east for 4km to Sihuapan, then turn right to Eyipantla. Frequent TLT buses (M$12) make the trip from San Andrés, leaving from the corner of Cabada and 5 de Mayo, near the market.
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Santa Clara Cigar Factory
Watch and inhale as the puros are speedily rolled by hand at the Santa Clara cigar factory. Cigars of assorted shapes and sizes, including the monstrous Magnum, are available at factory prices, and the 50 torcedores employed here (together rolling 10,000 puros a day) are happy to demonstrate their technique.
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Museo Histórico Naval
Occupying a former naval academy, the Museo Histórico Naval covers Mexico’s maritime heritage. Get ready for your testosterone to spike: along with rooms full of weapons and model ships, the museum holds well-presented exhibits on the US attacks on Veracruz in 1847 and 1914, and on revolutionary hero Venustiano Carranza.
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Museo Tuxteco
The Museo Tuxteco exhibits artifacts such as Olmec stone carvings, including another colossal head, a monkey-faced hacha (ax) with obsidian eyes, and a Tres Zapotes altar replica. You can buy books (in Spanish) about the area and pre-Hispanic cultures. Upstairs are local art exhibits.
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Faro Carranza
Facing the waterfront on the malecón, Faro Carranza holds a lighthouse and navy offices guarded by a large statue of Venustiano Carranza. It was here that the 1917 Mexican Constitution was drafted. Every Monday morning the Mexican navy goes through an elaborate parade in front of the building.
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Museo de la Ciudad de Veracruz
The displays at the Museo de la Ciudad de Veracruz do a good job of informing visitors of the city’s history from the pre-Hispanic era, but they also give a feel for the essence of this proud and lively city through explanations of its music, its diverse ethnic roots and its politics.
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Isla de los Changos
You can take boat tours to several islands within the lake. Isla de los Changos shelters red-cheeked monkeys, originally from Thailand. They belong to the University of Veracruz, which acquired them for research. Lancheros, disturbingly, feed the monkeys for the sake of close-up photography.
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Museo de Arte del Estado
Orizaba’s wonderful Museo de Arte del Estado is housed in a gorgeously restored colonial building dating from 1776. The museum is divided into rooms that include one of Mexico’s most important permanent Diego Rivera collections; there are also contemporary works by regional artists.
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Museo Agustín Lara
A monument to one of Veracruz’s most famous musical icons, the Museo Agustín Lara displays a range of Agustín Lara’s personal belongings, furniture and memorabilia. Furthermore, the museum is actually in the musician’s old residence in the city.
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San Juan de Ulúa
This fortress protecting Veracruz harbor was originally an island, but it’s now connected to the mainland by a causeway. Cortés arrived here in 1519, and the island subsequently became the main entry point for Spanish newcomers to Mexico.
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