January 2024


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48 | LET’S GO... MEXICO | 51


THE TRADITIONAL HEARTLANDS OFF THE USUAL TOURIST TRACKS


BY ROBIN NOWACKI


THERE is a legend in the Mexican port of Veracruz that in the days when the Aztecs ruled, a series of relay runners kept their leader, the Emperor Moctezuma, supplied with his favourite fresh fish from the Gulf of Mexico - some two hundred miles away across mountains and volcanoes in his Tenochtitlan palace.


It is also said that when the Spanish Conquistadors in the shape of Hernan Cortes and his army set foot there for the very first time on what was to become the mainland of Mexico in 1519, these fish runners gave Cortes early intelligence about the Aztec city rich with gold, silver and pearls. Hungry for plunder for the King of Spain


and themselves, it took little over a year for Cortes and his army to follow the fish trail to the gates of Tenochtitlan, end 200 years of Aztec supremacy in Mesoamerica and lay the foundations of today’s Mexico City on the top of Moctezuma’s razed palace. The last Aztec Emperor was dead, but it is uncertain if he was killed by Conquistadors or of his own people frustrated by his poor and dithering leadership against the Spanish. Today the Veracruz region is renowned for


its music and dance, for the finest coffee and tobacco cultivated in Mexico, for possessing one of the world’s most important museums of anthropology, and as in Aztec times for wonderful produce from the sea. The warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico yields an incredible variety of seafood - which is always served in Veracruz as fresh as you can get and in so many intriguing and imaginative ways, such as Pampano Al Acuyo - a whole fish cooked in its own juices with local herbs and spices. Good fish restaurants are to be found all along the coast, but those seeking sophistication and the chance to rub shoulders with American and European food writers, should go to the Villa Rica at Boca del Rio on the outskirts of Veracruz City. The initial impression of Veracruz is that


of a modern expanding city, this is due to it being Mexico’s largest port and main naval base, but go the old heart and you travel


back in time especially if you spend a warm subtropical evening in and around and under the trees of the beautiful old zocalo (square), the Plaza de Armas. Flanked by historic buildings including an 18th century cathedral and Mexico’s oldest hotel, the Imperial, which first opened its doors in 1794, by night and until the small hours the Plaza reverberates the sounds of the marimba music. The sound of marimba, which centres on


large wooden xylophones and steel drums, is more Caribbean than mariachi, it is softer and the lack of trumpets can be quite a relief for those with margarita hangovers. It is played by small groups of street musicians who go from bar-to-bar, restaurant to coffeehouse, serenading their customers in return for small amounts of cash. If this was not enough to endear old


Veracruz to travellers then the same Plaza de Armas is the setting each Thursday and Friday at 9PM for a dance spectacular and musical treat which has taken place each week for a century, and continues because the locals love the tradition, not for the sake of the few tourists who visit. Couples of all ages, some in traditional clothes - others in jeans and trainers, gather on a large well worn tiled dance floor in the open square and together they perform the Danzon, a series of slow elaborate dances unique to this region. In harmony they glide through the warm night air to the sound of a live orchestra performing music again unique to the Danzon. Whilst in Veracruz City also visit the impressive old Spanish San Juan de Ulua fortress - attacked in the past by a succession of English pirates, and being restored to a condition which


should earn Veracruz a World Heritage rating. Also of interest is the Mexican Naval Museum where the exhibits including old paintings and photographs offer a fascinating insight into the history of the port.


XALAPA – MUSEO DE ANTROPOPOGIA = COFFEE PLANTATIONS


One hundred miles inland on the road to


Mexico City, on the Route of Cortes, where the land rises sharply towards mountains and a small volcano, lies Xalapa (also spelt Jalapa) the State capital. This hilly university town has an attractive old colonial centre with gardens, steep colourful winding streets and an interesting cathedral. built in 1773, where the floor also slopes dramatically. Xalapa is typical Mexico with good traditional food in the restaurants, however in terms of weather it is not typical. Due to its proximity to the mountains and the Corfe de Perote volcano, Xalapa has its own microclimate of higher than average rainfall with misty afternoons following sunny mornings. This has allowed the growing of some of the world’s finest coffee in the countless plantations around Xalapa. Visits to the plantations and coffee towns such as Xico and Coatepec to buy the fresh coffee and witness the still very traditional lifestyles of the highland folk who live and work there are recommended.


However the main reason to travel to Xalapa will always be the chance to visit the stunning Museo de Antropologia, which in terms of importance of content comes close to rivalling the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City, but in terms of building design and quality of exhibit layout and display is superior. Like a flight of gigantic steps, a series of marble exhibition halls descend down a hillside within the museum, each step rich with relics from the three ancient civilisations - the Olmecs, Totonacs and Huastecs who from 1200 BC lived along the Gulf coast where now is the State of Veracruz. The exhibits range from small smiling clay statues discovered in burial sites, to larger figures of weird and strange looking gods, to the colossal carved basalt Olmec heads from San Lorenzo, the first of which greets you with it’s half human half jaguar stare as you enter the museum. The port City of Veracruz is well served


by direct scheduled flights from Mexico City. From Xalapa this is a daily service to and from Mexico City using smaller turbo propped aircraft.


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