Veracruzin’ for a Brusin’
Close to the present-day city of Veracruz, you will find the site where conquistador Hernán Cortés landed in 1519, kicking off the Spain’s involvement in Mexico and a whole bunch of historical events good and bad. Veracruz was there from the beginning and they’ve been doing things their own way ever since.
I don’t know when/why/how I heard of Veracruz, but for whatever reason it’s one of those place in Mexico that I’ve somehow always known. It felt fabled in a way. Maybe like Havana meets Cartagena, certainly not a Cancun. In my mind, it was a hot port dripping in equal parts sweat and history, the people driven by a rich culture of music and independence. It might be a place you ended up by accident and ended up staying far longer than expected. I’m not sure that Veracruz today is any of that, but it left a mark all the same.
Sarah came to do a race. It was something we thought would be fun even before we left and somewhere back around La Paz, we actually sought one out and registered. Bonus was, it naturally fit the flow I was going for, we merely had to excise a few extra days in the mountains. No problem – it was a relief to be back at sea level. We picked up the bib the day we drove in. The race started at 6am the next day – early to avoid the heat, earlier than any race ought to be run, but, against a run of bad stomach luck it all went quite well.
There are two distinct faces of Veracruz and it’s important to know which one you’ve signed up for. To the south is Boca del Rio, which is actually a separate municipality. This is the modern expansion of the city – the farther you head in this direction, the more it feels a bit like the USA with fast food, large hotel chains, snazzy malls. There are better beaches here too, but we were never here for the beaches. We stuck to the Centro, really to a few blocks, and the nearby waterfront. Here you’ll find things a bit faded (empty buildings), chaotic (cars before people), and stinky (there is a couple hundred meter stretch along the port where it is particularly pronounced – you have been warned).
Our hotel was a block from the Zócalo (central square). It’s smaller than you might think, but green and energetic and a great microcosm of Veracruz. On one side of the square are some venerable, classic coffee shops. Take a seat, order a drink and a cake or pastry and you might feel for a moment that this is what you were thinking the city was all about after all. There are a string of so-so restaurants here too and music and a nice cathedral.
A short walk away (2-3 blocks) and you are at the port. It’s a good/bad for the city. There’s the historical part of it, the interest in seeing tankers and patrol ships up close, the diverse vibe it can bring to a city center, and there’s the impact of having spewing, polluting boats next to people trying to live or vacation. But Veracruz balances it with a big investment in their malecón and break water walks. It begins as a big open space (feels like a parade square) before looping around past some hotels and bits of sand. You can walk to an aquarium easily (I’ve heard it’s quite good) and really a whole lot farther with good shoes and do care of the heat. This is the race route – along a busy road in places a lacking shade, but the sea walk belongs to the people, unobstructed.
The Centro is actually quite small and compact and most of what’s worth seeing can be traversed in an afternoon. Try going down a few alleyways, expanding out from the Zócalo to see what you find. You’ll probably find that Veracruz has let itself go somewhat, that there too many beautiful looking skeletons of buildings now gone derelict. Maybe this is why the actual capital of the state is Xalapa. All, the same and the race aside, I’m glad we stopped. It’s inexpensive, there’s outdoor music (if you have the late night energy, and tasty street food. Veracruz might not care if you like it or not, but we found a hint of what it was or maybe what it could be.
On a more practical note, it’s a long drive from central Mexico to the Yucatan no matter what route you take. We chose to loop round the gulf where there’s little to attract foreign tourists. Our goal was to make tracks, long driving days, the sooner to get on to the next chapter. Next up was Villahermosa, the capital of Tabasco and the best of scarce pickings. We had a business hotel and were really pleased with the comfort, a gym, free breakfast and good rates. Too bad we were had to press on to Campeche as there is an intriguing museum/ecological park right in town that sounds like a very worthwhile stop (Parque la Venta – they’ve taken items from the archaeological site of the same name and moved them here for convenience). The Yucantan was calling: a month in one spot, the turnaround point, a break from driving, a meet-up from Sarah’s parents… Always something on the horizon.
