Santiago Tuxtla | |
|---|---|
City and municipality | |
     Top: Panoramic view of the main plaza; Middle: Santiago Apóstol Church, Santiago Tuxtla Municipal Hall; Bottom: Tres Zapotes site museum, La Corbata colossal head | |
 Seal | |
| Coordinates: 18°27′55″N 95°18′9″W / 18.46528°N 95.30250°W | |
| Country |  Mexico |
| State | Veracruz |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Kristel Hernández Topete (PRD) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 619.4 km2 (239.2 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 300 m (1,000 ft) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 57,085 |
| • Seat | 15,733 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central Standard Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (Central Daylight Time) |
| Website | Official website |
Santiago Tuxtla is a small city and municipality in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The area was originally part of lands granted to Hernán Cortés by the Spanish Crown in 1531. The city was founded in 1525, but it did not gain municipal status until 1932. Today, the municipality is poor and agricultural, but is home to several unique traditions such as the Santiago Tuxtla Fair and the Acarreo de Niño Dios, when images of the Child Jesus are carried in procession several times during the Christmas season. It is also home to the Museo Regional Tuxteco (Tuxtla Regional Museum) which houses much of the area's Olmec artifacts, including a number of colossal heads and other monumental stone works. The city's main plaza hosts the largest Olmec colossal head in Mexico, thus making it famous.