Getting cold in Mexico?
Ridiculous! And yet, as we stepped off the bus in Xalapa, the capital of Veracruz state, that’s exactly what we felt: cold, damned cold in fact. In past years we’d chuckled a bit about how the Mexicans in other parts of the country often bundled up when the temperatures dropped just a few degrees into what we would call comfortable. But as we made our way to the handsome little hotel just off the main part of town, Posada Del Cafeto, we took stock of our respective wardrobes – light jackets, summer tops, quick dry pants, etc. and quickly realized that we might well have to put on every single thing we brought –including bathing suits - or spend the next several days shivering in the chilly mountain air.
Ridiculous! And yet, as we stepped off the bus in Xalapa, the capital of Veracruz state, that’s exactly what we felt: cold, damned cold in fact. In past years we’d chuckled a bit about how the Mexicans in other parts of the country often bundled up when the temperatures dropped just a few degrees into what we would call comfortable. But as we made our way to the handsome little hotel just off the main part of town, Posada Del Cafeto, we took stock of our respective wardrobes – light jackets, summer tops, quick dry pants, etc. and quickly realized that we might well have to put on every single thing we brought –including bathing suits - or spend the next several days shivering in the chilly mountain air.
Even our spacious tile-floored, two-room suite was an
icebox. Air conditioning? Si. Central
heating? Lo siento, no tenemos. At night the temperatures dropped to
the 30s – enough to make our teeth chatter like canastas. Walking to the
bathroom was a bit like tiptoe-ing over blocks of ice. Nevertheless, Xalapa was
a must see town and the gateway to several fascinating pueblos magicos nearby.
We huddled over our tacos at The Best Taco Stand Ever – Tacos Chema – and dug
in for our 4-night stay. Chema was recommended
by the taxi driver who drove us into town from the bus station. He said it was a
must go kind of place, and it was. Waiters dressed in crisp white aprons and
wearing surgical masks took orders for tacos con chicken, two types of chorizo,
and any number of other tasty meats whose names we couldn’t translate. Once
delivered, customers walk back to the front of the little café to slather on
white beans, spicy marinated vegetables, guacomole with jalapeno, etc. It was a
race to see if we could consume the delicious tacos before they disintegrated
on our plates. Either way, we won.
Eric's lips are blue in chilly Xalapa |
But there was a museum and what a museum it was! We wanted to see it as a way to prep ourselves for our visit to El Tajin, an archeological site further north near Papantla. We were intrigued by the history of the rather mysterious Olmecs and wanted to learn as much as we could about the evolution of that culture as well as the rise and expansion of the Totonac and Huastaco and other Gulf Coast peoples who were the founders of El Tajin.
The ultramodern layout is constructed like a canyon slicing
down into layers of time with side tunnels that open up into rooms filled with
artwork, both large and small that clearly define the different cultures that
rose and fell from about 1500 BC up to the apotheosis of the Spanish
conquistadors of the early 16th century who were believed to be
returning gods. Adding to the feel of tumbling down a cascade of living history
are outdoor areas adjoined each cultural period that exhibited statuary as well
as the indigenous flora of the primordial jungle.
Counterintuitive as it may seem, the “top” of the museum is
not the most recent history; it is the most ancient. The first things you
encounter are the famous Olmec heads that glare regally and disdainfully at us lowly
visitors. These people, originating in the southeastern part of Veracruz state
at the site Tenochtitlan or San Lorenzo, were apparently the first Mesoamerican
“super” culture numbering tens or hundreds of thousands of souls. As such, the
Olmecs are considered Mexico’s “mother” culture. The most significant finds so far are the formidable Olmec heads. We
discovered that, unless you see them together, it is hard to appreciate the
individuality of each head. They are all likely representations of rulers from
various time periods that are clearly distinct. The faces show heavy scowls and
prominent parted lips showing teeth. And unlike art from later evolving Mayan sites,
each face captures unique emotions and human qualities.
Honoring mothers who died in childbirth |
Turn around and there is a fully cast statute of a victim literally being skinned alive, screaming in agony, it’s body encircled with hundreds of tiny scalpel-like incisions. How does one sympathize with such visions that are so powerful they can make you laugh out loud or give you a terminal case of the willies?
At the end of the day, we feel completely spent by the time travel through the museum. Fortunately Xalapa is beginning to warm up – just as we fork over pesos for jackets and sweaters!
On a final excursion day before leaving Xalapa, we book an
English-speaking guide, Armando, and head up to the hinterlands to see a coffee
plantation outside of town and a pueblo magico: Coatepec that is perched on a
mountaintop nearby.
The coffee plantation is a wonder. We taste some truly outstanding coffee while Pepe, the owner and chief engineer, walks us through the coffee growth and production process. The requirements for good coffee, we learn, are complex and very technical. The plants themselves grow under the shade of banana groves and produce a fruit, the seed of which is the actual coffee bean. At present, the coffee production in Mexico is, unfortunately, declining due, in large part, to climate change and to a fungus that is killing off the indigenous coffee strains. Pepe shows us some of the new varieties of plants that are now being introduced that appear to be immune to the infestation.
The coffee plantation is a wonder. We taste some truly outstanding coffee while Pepe, the owner and chief engineer, walks us through the coffee growth and production process. The requirements for good coffee, we learn, are complex and very technical. The plants themselves grow under the shade of banana groves and produce a fruit, the seed of which is the actual coffee bean. At present, the coffee production in Mexico is, unfortunately, declining due, in large part, to climate change and to a fungus that is killing off the indigenous coffee strains. Pepe shows us some of the new varieties of plants that are now being introduced that appear to be immune to the infestation.
For lunch, Armando takes us to Coatapec, which is a small,
very tidy pueblo magico that has a healthy and varied artisanal trade. We
sample locally made tacos dorados -
cheesy thick tacos that truly melt in your mouth - and wash them down with
freshly made jugo fruta. We’re back in Xalapa in time for an
afternoon rainstorm and decide that it’s high time we crank out a blog before
we pack up and head north to Papantla and the prehistoric city of El Tajin.
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