Ah, Veracruz -- the enigmatic, beautiful, complicated city of so many faces! The entry point and first city of the Spanish in Mexico. For more than four hundred years, it remained the first Mexican soil to be tread by visitors arriving by sea from Europe, from Africa, from the Caribbean. Now, slightly more than five hundred years after its founding, it remains romantic and gritty; full of song and dust; immensely proud, yet crumbling day by day. 

 

Hernán Cortés and his crew landed on the sandy beaches in front of the small island of San Juan de Ulua in mid-April of 1519, and after receiving rich presents from the Aztec emperor (probably in an attempt to bribe Cortés to go away), Cortés and his men decided to found a town on that very spot. Since it was the Thursday of Holy Week, the Day of the True Cross, they named the town La Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz – “The Rich Town of the True Cross”. Just a few weeks afterwards they decided to relocate the town further north: the fishing and beach village of Villa Rica is still there, and on a nearby hill the intrepid can still find the foundations of the small fort that Cortés built and from which he launched the Conquest of Mexico. After the conclusion of the Conquest, the town of Veracruz was moved again, this time further south along the shore of the
Huitzilapan River (or River of the Hummingbirds). Now called La Antigua, this town still has buildings and ruins from this time, including the oldest church in North America. It’s also a great escape destination for some tasty seafood.

 

In 1600 the town of Veracruz was relocated one last time…right back to its original location in front of the Island of San Juan de Ulua, which by this point held an important fort. It was here that Veracruz grew and flourished as the main port for the interior of Mexico. Soon a tall wall surrounded the burgeoning city to protect it from pirate attacks, of which it suffered several. The Baluarte of Santiago is the only vestige of that noble wall still standing and is well worth a visit. Through the next few centuries Veracruz was important yet remained small, mainly due to its oppressive summer heat and the surrounding swamps that harbored mosquito-borne diseases. It was only after the swamps were drained and drinking water brought in from upstream rivers that the city really began to expand, and today it is still one of the principal cities and ports of Mexico.

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Meanwhile, its history was turbulent. Veracruz is known as “Four Times Heroic”,
referring to the four times the inhabitants of the city defended themselves against foreign aggression: once, at the end of the 1820’s when the Spanish bombarded the city from their final stronghold at San Juan de Ulua following their defeat in the War of Independence; then in the 1830’s when the French attacked the city during the “Pastry War”; followed by two invasions by the United States – first in 1847 and again in 1914.

 

Because of its status as a port city, the general atmosphere in Veracruz often feels more Caribbean than Mexican. Veracruz and Havana have often been thought of as sister cities, and anyone who has spent time in Havana might feel right at home in Veracruz, or vice versa. Danzón, a slow romantic Cuban dance with couples holding each other close is still enjoyed in Veracruz parks in the evenings. In fact, because of the heat of the day, public spaces in the city such as parks and squares (and bars!) are often filled with activity in the cool of the evenings. 

 

So, enjoy your days (and nights) in Veracruz. Its crumbling old architecture, mixed with the lively street life, its traditional music competing with the modern dance sounds, its classic sidewalk cafes attempting to remind people to take things a bit more slowly, are all fascinating aspects that add up to the chaotic flavor of this wonderful port city… Ah,Veracruz!

-- text by Rob Kruger

 

 

More information:

Short video on the 500th anniversary of the founding of Veracruz (April 22, 1519):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrAT7o5NB2Q&t=2s&ab_channel=AlJazeeraEnglish

 

Short introduction to ‘Son Jarocho’ or Veracruz Folk Music, which we will definitely be listening to during the wedding festivities.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsMN29C_9RA

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Short and sweet homage to Veracruz and to its fascinating mix of architecture, cultures, and movie locations:

https://thelift.mx/our-man-in-mexico-veracruz/

 

Travel & Leisure, An Epic, Culinary Road Trip Through Veracruz:

https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/veracruz-mexico-food-where-to-eat-what-to-do

 

An article about the faded glory of the once glamorous Hotel Mocambo:

https://chamberoftheamericasblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/hotel-mocambo-historical-jewel-of-golf.html