Veracruz | |
|---|---|
| Heroica Veracruz | |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Teatro_Francisco_Javier_Clavijero.jpg) &sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:2020-02-17_Municipal_palace_of_Veracruz_01.jpg) &sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Zona_metropolitana_de_Veracruz_(cropped).jpg) &sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Portal_de_Miranda._(cropped).jpg) &sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Faro_Venustiano_Carranza_Veracruz_2020p1_(cropped).jpg) &sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Torre_Catedral_de_Veracruz_(cropped).jpg) &sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Vista_San_Juan_de_Ul%C3%BAa_09_(cropped2).JPG) &sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Portales_de_Lerdo_(cropped).jpg) Top: Clavijero Theatre (left) and City Hall (right); middle top: aerial view of Veracruz; middle bottom: Portal de Miranda (left), Venustiano Carranza Lighthouse (center) and Veracruz Cathedral (right) ; bottom: Castle of San Juan de Ulúa (left) and Portales de Lerdo (right) | |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Escudo_del_municipio_de_Veracruz.svg) Coat of arms | |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Mexico_Veracruz_location_map.svg)  Veracruz &sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Mexico_States_blank_map.svg) Veracruz | |
| Coordinates: 19°11′25″N 96°09′12″W / 19.19028°N 96.15333°W | |
| Country |  Mexico |
| State | Veracruz |
| Municipality | Veracruz |
| Established | 22 April 1519[1] (505 years ago) |
| Founded as | Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz |
| Founded by | Hernán Cortés |
| Government | |
| • Municipal President | Patricia Lobeira Rodríguez (PAN) |
| Area | |
| • Land | 79 km2 (31 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 1,641.6 km2 (633.8 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 10 m (30 ft) |
| Population (2020) | |
| 537,963 | |
| • Density | 6,700/km2 (17,300/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 968,070 (metro) |
| GDP (PPP, constant 2015 values) | |
| • Year | 2023 |
| • Total | $19.1 billion[2] |
| • Per capita | $20,000 |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Website | veracruzmunicipio.gob.mx |
Veracruz (Latin American Spanish pronunciation: [beɾaˈkɾus] ), also known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico and the most populous city in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located along the coast in the central part of the state,[3] 90 km (56 mi) southeast of the state capital Xalapa.
It is the state's most populous city, with a population that is greater than the municipality's population, as part of the city of Veracruz extends into the neighboring municipality of Boca del Río. At the 2020 census, Veracruz Municipality had a population of 607,209 inhabitants. The city of Veracruz had a population of 537,952 inhabitants, 405,952 in Veracruz municipality and 132,011 in Boca del Río municipality.[4] Developed during Spanish colonization, Veracruz is Mexico's oldest, largest, and historically most significant port.[3][5][6]
When the Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés arrived in what is now Mexican territory on 22 April 1519, he founded a city, which he named Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz, referring to the area's gold and dedicated to the "True Cross", because he landed on the Christian holy day of Good Friday, the day of the Crucifixion. It was the first Spanish settlement on the mainland of the Americas to receive a coat-of-arms.[3] During the colonial period, this city had the largest mercantile class and was at times wealthier than the capital, Mexico City.[7] Its wealth attracted the raids of 17th-century pirates, against which fortifications such as Fort San Juan de Ulúa were built. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Veracruz was invaded on different occasions by France and the United States; in the aftermath of the 1914 Tampico Affair, US troops occupied the city for seven months.[3] For much of the 20th century, the production of petroleum was most important for the state's economy[8] but, in the latter 20th century and into the 21st, the port has re-emerged as the main economic engine. It has become the principal port for most of Mexico's imports and exports, especially for the automotive industry.[6]
Veracruz has a blend of cultures, mostly indigenous, Spanish and Afro-Caribbean. The influence of these three is best seen in the food and music of the area, which has strong Spanish, Caribbean and African influences.[5][9][10]
- ^ Stacy, Lee (2002). Mexico and the United States. Marshall Cavendish. p. 845. ISBN 9780761474029.
- ^ "TelluBase—Mexico Fact Sheet (Tellusant Public Service Series)" (PDF). Tellusant. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México Veracruz Ignacio de la Llave" (in Spanish). Mexico: INAFED. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
- ^ 2020 census tables: INEGI "Censo Veracruz 2020" (PDF). 2 May 2023.
- ^ a b Alisau Graber, Patricia. "Un poco de gracia". MexConnect. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
- ^ a b Rueda, Marisol (August 2005). "Overdrive: Mexico's Port of Veracruz expands to move more goods—cars above all else". Latin Trade. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
- ^ "Veracruz in la" [Veracruz in history] (in Spanish). Veracruz: H Ayuntamiento de Veracruz. Archived from the original on 19 June 2008. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
- ^ "Vacaciones en Veracruz Puerto". Best Day México: Información para sus Viajes. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
- ^ Hursh Graber, Karen. "The Cuisine of Veracruz: A Tasty Blend of Cultures". MexConnect. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
- ^ "Red Snapper Veracruzana". Epicurious. Retrieved 30 October 2009.