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return to Vista World TravelIn late November of 2005, Gene Marck, president of Vista World Travel in San Antonio, made a journey of discovery to the State of Veracruz. Gene has been kind enough to share with us some of the photographs he took while making memories.
Veracruz International Airport. A nice, modern facility.
Welcome to the Costa Sol Hotel in Boca del Rio. While "Boca" is still a geopolitical entity separate from Veracruz, it's really been swallowed by the larger city. However, there's still a small-town feel, especially near the zocalo.
Costa Sol is a delightful, moderately priced hotel. Gene reports that the food in the hotel restaurant was fabulous! He especially recommends the guacamole and frijoles. Lupita, the head cook, even came out to show them some of her techniques.
Gene's villa with the living room and patio in back leading out to the garden.
This is the beach in front of the Costa Sol Hotel. It's very clean, very wide, and bordered by the Malecón, which leads all the way downtown.
View of Gene's villa at the Costa Sol from the garden.
View of a standard room at Costa Sol Hotel. Very comfortable and spacious.
Costa Sol pool - very large and inviting
Fiesta Americana Veracruz. The Presidents of Mexico and Chile had an important meeting at this hotel in November.
Beach at the Fiesta Americana.
The beach in front of the Fiesta Americana is wide, clean, and goes on for miles. The bordering Malecón stretches over ten miles and is filled with walkers and bicyclists. The City of Veracruz has done a lot to update the waterfront for the enjoyment of residents and visitors.
More beach.
More of the beautiful Fiesta Americana.
The Italian Restaurant in the Fiesta American. Very Italian ambiance.
Another shot of the Italian Restaurant.
This shot is of a boat full of scuba divers getting ready to visit the fabulous reefs nearby.
San Juan de Ulua Fort. Built of coral rock - you can see the outlines of brain and fan coral colonies.
At times, the fort was the administrative headquarters of the government as well as a prison.
A section of the wall. This fort has been compared to El Moro in San Juan.
The fort.
Boca del Rio. The kiosk in the main plaza.
Statue of Benito Juarez in the Main Plaza at Boca del Rio.
The Municipal Palace (City Hall). Lovely colonial architecture; simple, yet stately.
A view from the Veracruz-Xalapa highway. The highway to the State Capital is excellent and very scenic.
Hacienda El Lencero, once the home of General Santa Anna of Alamo fame. The hacienda typifies the 19th century lifestyle of a rich country gentleman. It is serene and beautifully landscaped.
Front portico of El Lencero. Sort of like a Southern plantation with the wide porch and columns.
View of the grounds.
Courtyard and fountains.
Ancient fig tree.
Placid lake behind the house.
Fig tree.
Private chapel on the grounds near the main house.
Front entrance to El Lencero.
"Coatepec. We made a detour to this famous small town and stopped to pick up some 'pan dulce' at a bakery with a wood-fired oven. We saved the goodies for breakfast the next day." -g.m.
Lunch at Coatepec at El Tio Yeyo Restaurant. This restaurant is quite a popular institution for locals and visitors. The fish is fabulous! They have trout on the menu about twelve different ways. Definitely a must!
Front of El Tio Yeyo Restaurant.
Posada Coatepec. A small botique hotel with about 20 rooms. It has been featured in various high-end magazines. A true oasis of relaxation and comfort.
"Xalapa.....Museum of Anthropology. Truly one of the most striking museums I have ever seen and a true joy to experience. The architecture is modern and the contents are ancient. The juxtaposition of the two makes an excellent combination." - g.m.
A giant Olmec head greets you at the lobby entrance. The Olmec heads are stately and serene. Why did the people carve then? What do they mean? The museum's collection is incredible - Olmec, Totonaca, and Huastec - the three main groupings in Veracruz state. Heads, artifacts, carvings, and pottery - you leave with a deep appreciation of how advances these ancient people were. This is not a boring type of museum. It is full of light and beauty which propels you from one exhibit to another.
Museum of Anthropology seen from the lower end of the property looking towards the front lobby.
Cempoala, also spelled "Zempoala"", is just a few miles north of Veracruz. This is the city from which Hernán Cortéz secured his first allies against the Aztec rulers of Tenochtitlán. "We were lucky enough to see the Voladores flying around the pole as they reenacted their ancient ceremony" - g.m.
Voladores
Voladores finally reaching the ground
Open, friendly, and fantastically costumed
Structues around the ballcourt at Cempoala
Small pyramid
Circular ceremonial area with superb, amplifying acoustics
A few blocks away, the local contemporary houses are just accross the street from a pyramid.
This pyramid is sombody's next door neighbor!
On the way back to Veracruz, a stop was made at La Antigua. This small village was a prominent town for trade and governing until the activity shifted to the present day site of Veracruz. The church dates back to 1523. It is very famous and very spiritual. The day of this visit saw preparations for a wedding. Still in use after nearly 500 years!
The church at La Antigua
Marina Delicias Restaurant in La Antigua - on the river
River at La Antigua. This river flows to the ocean, which is why it was a prominent port in the beginnings of the colonial period.
Foot bridge over the river
The home of Hernán Cortéz. Currently overgrown but plans for renovations are in the works.
Santiago Tuxtla is southeast of Veracruz in the Olmec territory. The small local museum holds some of the treasures of the Olmec civilization. This stone head, known as "El Negro", is said to possess magical energy. You touch the stone on its forehead with your thumb, and if you are a spiritual type of person, it is said that you will feel the energy in different ways. Some people say that it feels like you are flying, Some people say that it cures illnesses. Shirley MacLaine has visited this exhibit and she claimed that the stone cured her of cancer.
El Negro
El Negro
A different Olmec head elsewhere in the museum.
The largest Olmec head yet excavated. This is in the town plaza accross from the museum. What motivated the Olmecs to create these objects?
The falls at Eyipantlán
The falls
Mist over the falls
Catemaco. We drove to this enchanted lake where two of the islands have colonies of monkeys. You take a boat up to the islands but you do not go ashore. The monkeys are in the trees. You can get quite close in the boat.
Monkey
Friendly monkey
"I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille"
Beautiful scenery at Catemaco. The rainforest there was the location for Sean Connery's The Medicine Man. When we drove up we found Mel Gibson's crew working on his next film, reportedly about the Maya.
Mountains around the lake
The boat dock at Catemaco
You can have beautifying mud applied to your face
There is a Shamana to perform spiritual clensings
She touches you with some branches and sweeps away the evil spirits
More spiritual clensing
The ceremony continues
With the shamana
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