Veracruz Excursions, Tours and Sightseeing
The City of Veracruz has adjacent to its Historic District, a fortress built to defend the Port, as well as walls that would defend the City against pirates wanting to attack the Spanish Naval Facilities, today the Headquarters of the Navel Infantry. Veracruz has a City Hall and a Cathedral from the 17th and 18th century. All around the town main square, you will see the legacy of the Centuries gone by. The Light House hosting the Port Authority office, is one of the many attractions worth catching among your most memorable vacation pictures. Along the Malecon, not very far from the Port Area, you will find the Veracruz Aquarium a must to acknowledge the richness of these Golf Waters.
If you want to tour around Veracruz, “La Antigua” is a quiet village, only 28 Kilometers North, where you will see the place where the Spaniards landed to start the Conquest of Mexico and the house that was Built for Hernan Cortes in the 16th Century, the town square, the church and at the same time a typical rural village. 12 Kilometers Further North, you can visit the extended beaches of Chachalacas, with small shacks cooking catch of the day sea food and which all around have many birds that concert the early morning or the sun down hour. If you want to stay in this isolated area, there is Hotel Chachalacas. If you want to drive 2 hours further along a highway bordering the Coast and showing the rich agriculture on the countryside, you can go to the archeological area of El Tajin.
If you go South from the City of Veracruz you will reach Tlacotalpan, which due to its Historic Values and conservation of its heritage, was registered by the UNESCO as a treasure of mankind. Spaniards encountered strong resistance by the Totonacs and stayed there as a stronghold part of the Conquest. Later in the 17th and 18th century the town organized to repeal pirate attacks. Today a fishing and agricultural community, Tlacotalpan has many colonial attractions, its town square, its parks, The House of Culture, City Hall, a Theater and many more attractions. On your way back, go through Alavarado, founded by one of Cortes’ Captains. Today you will find historic buildings with a nice architectonical touch and a traditional sea food cuisine in a series of small restaurants. Another day, if you drive west, got to Cempoala 43 kilometers from Veracruz, which was a ceremonial center for the Totonacas with pyramids and an astronomical observatory and an altar dedicated to worship the moon.
