Day 6 Tue Feb 11
I drove from the Xochicalcao area to Tehuacan arriving about 18:30.
ON Hotel Plaza Iberia, downtown Tehuacan.
Day 7 Wed Feb 12
I left Tehuacan at 08:30 to drive south to the WHS.
TEHUACAN-CUICATLAN VALLEY original habitat of Mesoamerica WHS
Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley has a rich biodiversity with three components, Zapotitlán-Cuicatlán, San Juan Raya and Purrón, it is one of the main centres of diversification for the cacti family. It harbours the densest forests of columnar cacti in the world, agaves, yuccas and oaks. Early domestication of crops with a water management system of canals, wells, aqueducts and dams, the oldest in the continent.
Of the 36 plant communities, 15 different xeric shrublands are exclusive to the Tehuacán- Cuicatlán Valley. 70% of worldwide flora families, over 3,000 species of vascular plants of which 10% are endemic to the Valley. It is also a global centre of agrobiodiversity and diversification for numerous groups of plants, in which the cacti stand out, with 28 genera and 86 species of which 21 are endemic. Large “cacti-forests” shape some landscapes of the Valley making it one of the most unique areas in the world.
Mammals (134 species, two endemic). Of the 353 birds, nine are endemic including the Green Macaw.
Archaeological evidence over 12,000 years. 1) plant domestication, one of the most ancient worldwide, and 2) water management using canals, wells, terraces, aqueducts and dams which make it the most diversified ancient irrigation complex of the continent. Innovations like the salt industry and pottery.
From Tehuacan, the classic route is Highway-135 D (Cuacnopala-Oaxaca) to see a small portion of the reserve, but you will not cross the heart. Take the difficult local Highway 980 (Tehuacan-Coxcatlan-Teotitlan-Cuicatlan-Oaxaca).
Other sites in the area:
The Purrón Dam near Coxcatlan is the first dam created by man in the Americas
My Experience. I drove Highway 980 about 20 km south Teotitlán de Flores Magón to see the WHS. The valley bottom if an agricultural breadbasket with mostly sugar cane and some corn. As you approach Teotitlan the cactus and desert flora increase – many kinds of cacti with “forests” of tall thin columnar cacti on the hillsides. I returned to Teotitlan and then took Highway 182 which crosses the mountains from Teotitlan to San Juan Bautista Tuxtepec. It was 186 km and Google Maps said it would take almost 5 hours. The highest point at 2420 m near Santa Maria Teopoxco was reached at km 27. Then it is relatively flat across the top of the mountains till about km 80 and then descends for the last 100+ km. The road was narrow with no shoulders, some potholes and far too many topes at each house and chicken. On the descent, the road improved and the twists and turns decreased. I was able to get up to 80-90 km/hour a few times. It took me 3 hours and 50 minutes to drive – I went as fast as I could.
The initial views back down to the valley were grand. Eventually, the road has great views down and across the valleys with many homes.
On Highway 195 to Oaxaca, see the following:
1. Helia Bravo Hollis. A Botanical garden on the road from Tehuacan to Zapotitlan. There are 50 species of large cacti. The main protagonists are the columnar Cactaceae, some of which date back more than 1000 years and reach 20 meters or more. Has rudimentary cheap cabins inside the botanical gardens
2. Las Salinas Grandes salt mine at Santa María Tecomavaca. Functioning for the past 600 years, this salt is highly valued nationally as gourmet salt. There are also military macaws at sunrise return to their caves,
3. Sabino Canyon is a deep canyon with the second-largest population of guacayamas in the world. Ask any person in the village for instructions. It is a one-hour walk from the village on beautiful trails of cactus and shrubs, a beautiful morning walk.
4.. El Bosque de los Sotolines. endemic Pata de elefante or sotolin tree which is believed to be the oldest (800+ years old) in the region of Tehuacan. Also rodents, the rare tlalcoyote, bats, spiny chameleons, spiders, scorpions, and sunrise birds.
5. San Juan Raya is a village with a paleontological ecotourism program.
MEXICO – VERACRUZ (Xalapa, Coatzacoalcos)
After Tuxtepec, the road was flat with few turns but the sugar trains were awful. Either large trucks with two trailers or tractors pulling 4-6 carts full of cane were very slow (about 2km/hr). Huge lineups of cars resulted. I drove very aggressively and eventually got by them all. I don’t understand why the cane would be moving in both directions.
It was about 100 km to Tlacotpan – Google Maps suggested it would take 2 hours and I drove it in 1 1/2 hours. Weather can be an issue crossing the mountains – foggy towards sunrise/sunset, heavy rain and strong winds all year round.
HISTORIC MONUMENTS ZONE OF TLACOTALPAN World Heritage Sites
It represents the townscape of a Spanish colonial river port. The buildings are mostly single-storey and in Caribbean style, with exuberant use of colour. The town was laid out in the checkerboard style with many open spaces and trees. It contained separate quarters for the Spanish and natives.
Nowadays it’s a sleepy backwater. There is little to do except see the all the brilliantly painted houses and buildings, all with arcades.
Near the water is the town’s main square, a beautiful square with palm trees, a gazebo and benches. On one corner of the square is the Santuario de la Virgen de la Candelaria, a gorgeous church completely painted inside. There are no “great” buildings or sights. The town’s peak was reached around 1880-1910 and, following many fires, few buildings were any earlier. The colonial-style town is significant simply because it has been forgotten – it is no longer a port city due to sedimentation. The entire town shuts down for several hours for a siesta in the heat of the afternoon. This makes a perfect time to wander around and take photographs. The museum is very primitive but the photography in the museum is fascinating. Fish/seafood is a specialty here.
It is recommended to take the El Cuenqueño boat service on the Papaloapan River. It is excellent with wonderful views of Tlacotalpan from the upper deck. Peek through the open windows and/or doors to see the lovely patios and furniture inside. a riverboat trip.
Fiesta de la Candelaria.30 of January and the 9th of February.
There are 4 hotels in Tlacotalpan.
Alvarado is a port city built on a complex lagoon system created by the mouth of the Papaloapan and Blanco rivers into the Gulf of Mexico, forming the Camaronera, Buen País, Alvarado and Tlalixcoyan lagoons.
VERACRUZ
Gran Café de la Parroquia is an icon of Veracruz founded in 1808 by brothers Juan and Martín Urdapilleta. It is famous for its traditions, family atmosphere and its café lechero. Located on the Malecón promenade, it is considered the most famous café-restaurant in the Mexican Republic. Its motto is “Coffee as it should be.”
The traditions: 1. because there is no waiting room, visitors enter “as if at home” to choose the table they like and 2. the milkman, the person in charge of serving hot milk to prepare the traditional café con leche, by clinking the spoon against the glass.
The Mexican Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp with the coffee makers. Coffee and sweet bread are the main dishes.
I ate dinner here and had average plus enchiladas suise (chicken in flour tortillas, cheese and cream on top and a true verde salsa) and a cafe con leche.
ON Hotel Rias. Not close to anything, it was an adequate room.
Day 8 Thur Feb 12
Castle of San Juan de Ulúa Tentative WHS. Site of Memory and Historical Resistances. It is a large complex of fortresses, prisons and one former palace on an island overlooking the seaport of Veracruz, Mexico. Juan de Grijalva’s 1518 expedition named the island. On March 30, 1519, Hernan Cortés met with Tendile and Pitalpitoque, emissaries from Moctezuma II’s Aztec Empire.
It was built between 1535 and 1769. The fortress saw no action after the 1560s under Spanish control, becoming an isolated outpost of the Spanish Army in New Spain. In the 1580s, It also saw no action during the Mexican War of Independence, being too far away from the main areas of fighting to see any real action.
In 1568, the Spanish forces trapped a privateer fleet under the command of John Hawkins in the fortress’s harbour. The commanders under Hawkins included his cousin, the young Francis Drake. Hawkins and Drake both managed to escape but trapped and with no rescue in sight, these sailors ventured further inland, where they eventually settled among the local population and integrated into the Mexican populace at large, becoming part of the European diaspora in Mexico. The attack by the Spaniards at San Juan de Ulúa is credited as marking Drake’s first feelings of intense hatred of both Catholicism and the Spanish.
Since Mexico’s independence in 1821, San Juan de Ulúa has served as a military and political symbol of Mexican resistance to foreign invasions and occupations, several of which took place during the 19th century. In 1838 the French bombarded the fortress in the Battle of Veracruz during the Pastry War, a conflict resulting from a French citizen in Mexico seeking reparations for his allegedly damaged pastry shop; during the Mexican–American War, a conflict which resulted from disputes over the nascent Republic of Texas, the United States laid siege to the fortress, and in 1863, the French briefly occupied the city while installing Maximilian I as Emperor of Mexico. For much of the 19th century, the fort served as a prison, especially for political prisoners.
The last foreign incursion came in 1914, on the eve of World War I, when an American expedition captured and occupied Veracruz as a response to the Tampico Affair against the background of the Mexican Revolution; which threatened the regional oil industry in which Americans were heavily invested. After a short but bloody firefight, the Americans captured the city, including San Juan de Ulúa. After seven months of U.S. occupation, the Americans departed and handed it back to the city. A portion of San Juan de Ulúa also served several times as the presidential palace, housing presidents such as Benito Juárez and Venustiano Carranza. The citadel was also used as a prison.
The former presidential palace has suffered severe decay.
The port and fortress played an important role in the 16th-18th century transatlantic trade. 250,000 African slaves passed through the fort.
It is a long drive here through a huge oil storage facility. An old section is constructed of coral. There is little to see – enter a large square and climb onto the bastions but it is otherwise empty. 100P, no reduction.
Mexico Naval Museum. A lovely large museum but only Spanish – maps, old and modern ship models, weapons, uniforms and descriptions of famous wars (against the US, French and WWI). 80P, 60 reduced
Baluarte de Santiago (Santiago Bastion. or the Gunpowder Bastion) is located in a small park in the center of the historic district. Completed in 1635, it was part of the nine bastions that made up the integral wall that surrounded the city and port of Veracruz. It is the only bastion that survives of the nine, demolished along with the wall of Veracruz in 1880. It is octagonal in shape.
Veracruz City Museum. Temporarily closed.
Casa Museo Agustin Lara (1897 –1970) was a Mexican composer and performer of songs and boleros. He is recognized as one of the most popular songwriters of his era. His work was widely appreciated not only in Mexico but also in Central and South America, the Caribbean and Spain. After his death, he has also been recognized in the United States, Italy, and Japan. His 1958 bolero album Rosa has been rated as one of the top 25 albums in the history of Latin American music. By the time of his death, Lara had written more than 700 songs.
The house is across the street from the water. There is a small theatre where performances were given. Free
Hernan Cortés house. In La Antigua, only a few walls are intact, the rest are low foundations. Several trees are growing on the walls and their roots cover them. There is a large backyard. Free
Cempoala Archaeological Zone. A large complex with several pyramids (supposedly decorated with skulls but I didn’t see any), platforms and a surrounding stone wall. Populated by the Totonac people, it is on the Actopan River and is completely constructed with river stones. The small in situ museum has some great pottery.
It was the first Mexican town visited by Cortes and they allied with him against Tenochtitlan in 1521. 70P, no reduction
XICO
Museo del Danzante Xiqueño. Temporarily closed.
Cascada de Texolo. Drive about 2 km on a rough cobble road, pay 25P to park and descend a long way to the waterfall (down steep steps and then a short trail). A lovely single waterfall descends through a narrow gorge into a large pool
XALAPA
Museo en Honor a los Bomberos. In a fire station, this great small museum must have the largest collection of helmets in the world plus axes, badges and three ancient fire engines. The staff was very friendly. Free
Museo de Antropología de Xalapa. Don’t miss this huge and spectacular museum. Owned by the University of Veracruz, it has hundreds of rock statues (including several Omec heads), pottery, clay figures, jewelry, obsidian, and jade masks. 70P but I arrived just before closing and they let me in for free.
ON Auto Hotel Mediterranea. On the outskirts of town with little around this was a tremendous deal (CA$2o). Park your car in the garage under your suite and walk up a short flight of stairs into the room. I ordered room service (the only food around). The hamburger and fries were above average US$6.
ON Auto Hotel Mediterraneo. On the western outskirts of Xalapa, park under your room and take personal stairs up. It is lovely with a king-sized bed and nice appointments (the best and cheapest hotel I have stayed in this trip to central Mexico. I ordered room service (there is nothing around here and it was quite good). CA$20.
RETURN TO PUEBLA
