Xalapa
Xalapa has been called the Athens of Veracruz.. It is a city where culture, like the evening fog, flows out of the schools, libraries and museums, takes over the gardens, fills the plazas and is the favorite subject of conversation in cafés and bars.
Xalapa has a historic center that rises and falls among hill slopes and gullies. It is covered by straw roofs and is generously decorated with gardens that stretch towards the new neighborhoods, like the one where the university is located. Not far from the city, one can visit the waterfalls at Xico, the traditional coffee town of Coatepec, the Cofre de Perote or the town of Jalcomulco, where you can practice adventurous sports. A little further on are the archeological sites of Quiahuitztlán and Filalobos.
In prehispanic times, the region was inhabited by different groups, among which the Olmecs stood out. When Cortez, who had already allied himself with the peoples from Cempoala, arrived there in 1519, the local inhabitants also formed an alliance with him against the domination of the Aztecs. As of that moment, Xalapa became an important point on the journey from Veracruz to the center of the country. In 1720, King Philip V ordered that the fairs that had up to that date taken place in the capital, be moved here. This was a great help to the city that became known as Xalapa de la Feria (Fair). During the wars of Independence and Intervention, the city was occupied by military reinforcements that arrived from France and Spain until 1867 when the Republic of Mexico was restored back to normal.
Xalapa had a reputation as a cultural center since the middle of the 19th century: in 1843, a Preparatory College named El Colegio Nacional de Xalapa (The National College of Xalapa was established, and the Escuela Normal Veracruzana was established in December 1886. Today the city is the headquarters of the University of Veracruz and of the prestigious Veracruz Cultural Institute. It also has one of the best Symphony Orchestras in the country.
Xalapa is located in the southern part of the Cerro Macuiltépetl (Macuiltépetl Hill) on the northern slopes of the Cofre del Perote, 100 km from Veracruz and 300 km from Mexico City. (This is where the Easter Sierra Madre Mountains start their descent to the Gulf of Mexico). Xalapa is 1,427 meters above sea level, it is often foggy though it has a temperate climate and it is surrounded by rich vegetation. It has a population of 500,000 people. |
