You'll find several interesting sites relatively close to Veracruz that you can see in a day or two. Why not take an excursion into the mountains to Coatepec and Jalapa, staying over at an inn to enjoy the cool mountain air?

La Antigua

In 1519, Hernán Cortés first landed in the New World at La Antigua, a fishing village twenty minutes north of Veracruz by the coast road. Supposedly the first European settlement in North America, the quiet village straddles the Río Antigua. You can visit the crumbling remains of the Cortés's former home, now encased in tree roots, and La Ermita (The Hermitage), the first church built on Mexican soil (in 1529), where Cortés attended mass and baptized the first Indian. You can also see the barracks that housed General Antonio López de Santa Ana's troops, which he formed in 1835 to fight at the Alamo in Texas.

Coatepec

Surrounded by citrus orchards, sugarcane fields, and coffee and banana plantations is the charming eighteenth-century colonial town of Coatepec. Winding inlaid stone streets with balconies overhanging the sidewalks have become the hallmark of this town of 45,000 people. Today, craftsmen produce fine furniture, saddles, and hand-tooled leather portraits, as well as caféto handicrafts such as knives, letter openers, figurines, and even elaborate clocks, all carved from the blond wood of coffee roots.

As you stand in the Parque Hidalgo, the town's main square, you face La Parroquia de San Jerónimo, a fine parish church built in 1702. On another side stands the Palacio Municipal (City Hall). Wander inside to catch a glimpse of the beautiful murals covering the walls on the lower level. Down the street stands the orange and brown-trimmed La Iglesia de la Virgen de Guadalupe (The Church of the Virgin of Guadalupe). Step into its cool interior to marvel at its silver-ornamented walls. Afterward climb Cerro de las Culebras, a steep hill with an observation tower, for a spectacular view of the countryside.

Jalapa

Ten minutes north of Coatepec lies cool, clean Jalapa (or Xalapa), the capital of the state of Veracruz and home to one of Mexico's finest public universities. On a clear day, this hill town offers a dramatic view of Mexico's highest mountain, the snowcapped 18,551-foot Pico de Orizaba. Often called the “Flower Garden of Mexico” due to its profusion of flowers and fruits in its parks and gardens, Jalapa spreads over a number of hills in a garden-like region surrounded by high mountains; it receives abundant rainfall and is often clouded over. The locals call the rain chipichipi.

Once a former stronghold of the Spaniards and a stagecoach stop, Jalapa's old town is a maze of narrow streets and lanes lined with colorful houses and lush gardens left over from the Spanish colonial period. This is in striking contrast to the broad boulevards and modern buildings in the newer sections of town.

One notable building is the massive late-eighteenth-century restored cathedral. This stands near the attractive Parque Juárez, the main square, on the other side of which is the long light-stoned colonial-style Palacio de Gobierno (Government Palace), containing interesting frescoes and faced by ornate fountains. The adjacent Jardín de Morelos (Morelos Garden) offers a fine view of the city. Other attractive parks are the Parque Hidalgo and Parque de los Berros.

Just north of downtown, past sloping streets and hidden alleys, stands one of Mexico's most impressive museums. The Museo de Antropología (Museum of Anthropology), a feast for the eyes and part of the University of Veracruz, houses one of the most complete collections of the history of regional culture in Mexico. It displays an impressive 29,000-piece collection of Olmec heads, Aztec and Huaxtec stone sculptures, as well as a large selection of stelae and cult objects, pottery vessels, and figures and articles made from semiprecious stones, bringing together collections of artifacts formerly stored around the state. The museum's landscaped atriums show seven giant twenty-two-ton carved stone Olmec heads in natural settings, and an eighteen-level orientation hall explains exhibits and puts them all in context. The cultures shown in this museum influenced future cultures throughout Mesoamerica. It's worth making a trip to Jalapa just to see it.

And six miles south of town you'll find the Ex-Hacienda El Lencero, the grand home of General Santa Ana, where he entertained visiting nobility and artists during his several terms as president of Mexico. Elegant furnishings from around the world fill its rooms. After touring the house, have a snack and some coffee in the restaurant housed in the former servants' quarters (open Tuesday to Sunday, 9 A.M. to 5 P.M.).