COME TO VISIT VERACRUZ

You should visit Veracruz, Mexico... Why?

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VERACRUZ

Veracruz, formally (Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave) is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is
Xalapa-Enríquez.

WHERE IS IT?

It is located in Eastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north, San Luis Potosí and Hidalgo to the west, Puebla to the southwest, Oaxaca and Chiapas to the south and Tabasco to the southeast. To the east, Veracruz has a significant share of coastline on the Gulf of Mexico.

Food

The cuisine of Veracruz is the regional cooking centered on the Mexican state that stretches over most of the country’s coast on the Gulf of Mexico. Its cooking is characterized by three main influences, indigenous, Spanish and Afro-Cuban, due to its history, which included the arrival of the Spanish and that of slaves from Africa and the Caribbean. Theses influences have contributed many ingredients to the cooking including native vanilla, corn and seafood, along with rice and spices and tubers, yucca and peanuts. How much the three mix depending on the area of the state, with some areas more heavily favoring one or another. The state has worked to promote its cuisine both in Mexico and abroad as part of its tourism industry.

Important dishes
The most famous Veracruz dish is Huachinango a la Veracruzana (Snapper Veracruz style). It is a baked whole fish covered in a tomato based sauce
flavored with mostly European ingredients such as
olives, garlic, capers and more. The most widely
served dish in the state is arroz a la tumbada,
which can be found in almost all restaurants that
serve seafood in Veracruz. Mole Xiqueño is a mole sauce named after its city of origin, Xico. Its two main ingredients are the mulate and ancho chili peppers, Like other moles it is generally consumed for special events and holidays although the paste to make this sauce is now commercialized by a
number of small businesses.

VERACRUZ COFFEE

The state of Veracruz is the second largest producer of coffee, in Mexico after Chiapas, with about 153,000 hectares under cultivation. Most producers are small, with 90,000 in the state, with about 300,000 directly involved in its production It is grown in 94 municipalities, especially in the mountain areas of Xalapa, Coatepec and Orizaba, where it is sold not only for drinking but also used to flavor candies and baked goods. However, the best known place in the state to drink coffee is La Gran Parroquia, located in the city of Veracruz. It is best known for its strong, espresso-like coffee which is mixed with hot milk, called café con leche.

CANDIES

In Veracruz we can find many typical candies like the marzipans with shapes of fruits and vegetables, jamoncillos(milk candy) and from other regions of Veracruz there are the coconut candies, tamarindo candies,and deserts like chayote candy with raw pineapple, the indian granaditas, la cordobesa and many others.

DANCE AND MUSIC “Folklore”

The state is well known in the country for its music and dance. The fandango is a dance brought over from Spanish. Today the state has two varieties: the jarocho and the huasteco. Indigenous and folk dances in the state are most often associated with rituals and religious festivals. the state’s most famous dance is as much a ritual and daredevil act as movements performed to music.
The Danza de los Voladores (Dance of the Flyers) is a ceremony/ritual which has its roots in the pre-Hispanic period and presently best known as associated with the town of Papantla, Veracruz. It is believed to have originated with the Nahua, Huastec and Otomi peoples in central Mexico, and then spread throughout most of Mesoamerica. The ritual consists of dance and the climbing of a 30 meter pole from which four of the five participants then launch themselves tied with ropes to descend to the ground. The fifth remains on top of the pole, dancing and playing a flute and drum. According to myth, the ritual was created to ask the gods to end a severe  drought.

MUSIC

The state's best-known musical style is called the "son". A “son” is a musical variation which traces its origins to Spain and developed during the 17th and 18th centuries, The music is generally performed by harps, violins and guitars, with an occasional wind instrument. Son huasteco (also called son huapango) is a variety of son played in the north of the state mostly among the Totonaca. Son jarocho is the better known and more popular variety played in the south of the state. The name of some popular Veracruz Dance Songs; "La Bamba" ,"El Tilingo Lingo","La Rama" ,"El Jarabe Loco", "La Paloma", "Veracruz" The state has produced a number of musicians famous in the country. One of the best known is Francisco Gabilondo Soler, another famous musician is Agustín Lara, who has had more international fame. Nicknamed “Flaco de oro” (golden

skinny one).

HANDCRAFTS

In the more rural and indigenous areas of the state, a number of

handcrafts are still made and sold both to local buyers and to tourists.

Many of these crafts are produced by communities that specialize in

one or more types. The best work comes from the towns of Ozulama

and Castillo de Teayo. Teocelo and Monte Blanco are known for bamboo furniture and other items. Ceramics have been made in almost all parts of Veracruz since the Olmecs.

CUSTOME

Consist of a white wide skirt always white, combined with a small black

half-apron, embroidered with colorful flowers, combined with a  white, square shawl worn around both shoulders and fastened at the chest worn with white flamenco shoes. complemented with flowers in the hair and a fan hanging around  the dancers' neck (to fend off the Veracruz heat)

The costume for men consists of white pants with a white dress shirt (is called Guayabera). The shoes should be white and the outfit is complete with a hat of palms and a red scarf around his neck with an adjustable gold ring.

Economic activities

Veracruz has one of Mexico’s leading economies, based on agriculture and petroleum. AGRICULTURE The primary sector of the economy (agriculture, forestry and fishing) has been important since pre-Hispanic times and continues to be important both as a source of income as well as culturally The state has abundant rainfall and extremely fertile soils, as well as a long coastline and forest containing a wide variety of trees and other plants. There is about 1 million hectares of cultivable land, half of which is in private hands and 43% is ejido or communal land.

PRODUCTS

 Chief agricultural products include coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, tobacco, bananas,coconuts, and vegetables, but local farmers depend mainly on corn and beans. The state is the leading national producer of coffee, sugarcane, corn, and rice.
Livestock raising: is an important activity.
There are over 300,000 units of production most of which raise cattle, with Veracruz being the main beef producer for the country at 14% of the total. In addition to beef cattle, dairy cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, horses, domestic fowl, and bees are raised
.

Forestry: From the tropical forests of the inland regions come dyewoods, hardwoods, and rubber. About 20% of the state’s territory is forested, with 220,000 of temperate forest and 1,200,000 hectares of
tropical forests. the state produces 128,254 m3 of woodproducts per year. The most exploited species
include pine, oyamel, cypress and oak. Some tropical hardwoods are harvested as well.
Veracruz’s long coastline supports a large fishing industry, producing one-fifth of Mexico’s catch. Most of the country’s mojarra, trout, oysters and shrimp come from here.
Other major fish catches include tilapia,lebrancha, crab, sea bass and huachinango.

WEATHER

The large variation of altitude results in a large mixture of climates, from cold, snow-topped mountaintops to warm wet tropical areas on the coast. 32% of the state is classified as hot and humid, 52% as hot and semi humid, 9% is warm and humid, 6% as temperate and humid and 1% is classified as cold.