Xalapa is the capital city of the Mexican state of Veracruz. A township (or Municipality) is a settlement which has the status and powers of a unit of local government The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave is one of the 31 states that constitute the republic of Mexico. In the year 2005 census the city reported a population of 387,879 and the municipality of which it serves as municipal seat reported a population of 413,136. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Municipalities ( municipios in Spanish) are the second-level administrative division in Mexico (where the first-level administrative division is the The municipality has an area of 118. 45 km² (45. 734 sq mi). Xalapa lies near the geographic center of the state and is the second-largest city in the state after the city of Veracruz. The city of Veracruz is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz.
The municipal seat of Xalapa is the city of Xalapa de Enríquez, named in honor of 19th-century Governor Juan de la Luz Enríquez. According to the Political Constitution of the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, the Executive Power is invested in one individual called " Constitutional In everyday usage, however, the city is generally referred to by the shorter name Xalapa. Its name is pronounced [xaˈlapa] in Spanish and IPA: /həˈlɑːpə/ in English. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States It was called "La ciudad de las flores " (the City of Flowers) by Alexander Von Humboldt. (September 14 1769 &ndash May 6 1859 was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister philosopher and linguist
Its name comes from the Nahuatl roots "Xalli" (sand) and "Apan" (water place), which approximately means "spring in the sand. Nahuatl ( is a group of related languages and dialects of the Aztecan or Nahuan branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family " This name is pronounced [ʃaˈlapan] in Nahuatl, though final [n] is often omitted in Nahuatl pronunciation; the [ʃ] sound (like English 'sh') was written 'x' in the 16th century, but does not occur in modern Spanish (but is common for place names in Mexico), and its normal counterpart is the [h] sound (IPA [x] or [h]) which is normally written 'j' in modern Spanish. The spelling Xalapa (like the word México) reflects the archaic spelling. "Jalapa" (like Méjico) is modernized and is used mostly by foreigners. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America.
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Notable sites in the city
The Cathedral of Xalapa is a mix of Baroque and Neogothic design built in 1773. Baroque art redirects here Please disambiguate such links to Baroque painting, Baroque sculpture, etc The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement which began Year 1773 ( MDCCLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common It has a clock tower, the clock coming from England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland
Callejón Diamante (lit. Diamond Alley) is one of the more crowded streets at night because of its Bohemian atmosphere with cafes and an artists' colony. Callejón Jesús te Ampare is a cobblestone street next to the Church of San José. Cobblestones are stones that were frequently used in the pavement of early Streets "Cobblestone" is derived from the very old English word "cob"
Patio Muñoz is a neighborhood built in the 19th century, with most of the original buildings intact. Here are held workshops in Veracruz-style painting, dance and music.
Parque Juárez was the location of the Monastery of San Francisco. It is located among the four oldest neighborhoods of the city. Its central garden features enormous monkey puzzle trees, art gallerys, an agora, workshops, an auditorium and a café. Araucaria araucana ( Pehuén or Monkey-puzzle) is the hardiest species in the conifer genus Araucaria.
The Jardín de Esculturas (Sculpture Garden) is a museum dedicated to sculpture, exhibiting works by nationally and internationally-recognized artists.
The Museo Interactivo de Xalapa (Interactive Museum of Xalapa) features a planetarium with an IMAX screen, showing educational documentaries. IMAX (short for Image MAXimum is a Film format created by Canada 's IMAX Corporation that has the capacity to display images of far greater size and
In the Paseo de los Lagos, there used to be an ancient dam. Today it has footpaths surrounded by leafy trees, circling three lakes and a fresh-water spring.
The Parque de los Tecajetes is located in a natural depression or ravine of the same name in the center of the city. Underneath is a fresh-water spring that feeds the aquaducts, artificial pools and canals of the park.
The Museo de Antropología de Xalapa houses the largest collection of artifacts from Mexican Gulf Coast cultures such as the Olmec, the Huastec and the Totonac with more than 25,000 pieces. The Gulf Coast of Mexico stretches along the Gulf of Mexico from the border with the United states at Matamoros all the way to the tip of the Yucatán The Olmec were an ancient Pre-Columbian people living in the Tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico, in what are roughly the modern-day states This article is about the Huastec people whose native language Wastek (Huastec is a Mayan language The Totonac people resided in the eastern coastal and mountainous regions of Mexico at the time of the Spanish arrival in 1519. The most notable pieces in the museum are the giant Olmec heads and the smaller Totonac ones, which are called "caritas sonrientes" (little smiling faces) in Spanish. The museum also contains a 40,000 sq. meter garden.
Nearby is the Hacienda del Lencero. Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate usually but not always a vast Ranch. Its first owner was Juan Lencero, a soldier of Hernán Cortés. Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro 1st Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca ( 1485&ndash December 2, In the 19th century is was the property of Antonio López de Santa Anna. Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón ( February 21, 1794 &ndash June 21, 1876) often known as Santa Today, it is a museum in which you can see furniture and personal effects dating from the 19th century. It also has a chapel and spacious gardens surrounding the property which include a sculpture by Gabriela Mistral who spent time here while in exile. Gabriela Mistral ( April 7, 1889 — January 10, 1957) was the Pseudonym of Lucila de María del Perpetuo Socorro Godoy Alcayaga
The Jardín Botánico Clavijero (Clavijero Botanical Garden) has an important collection of regional plants with sections dedicated to Mexican ornamental flowers, reconstructed mountain environments in Xalapa, ferns and the most extensive variety of pines in Mexico. [1]
History
The Totonacas were the first people who established themselves around the "Macuiltepetl" - a 'five-peaked' hill, which today is a park. The Totonac people resided in the eastern coastal and mountainous regions of Mexico at the time of the Spanish arrival in 1519. During the 14th century, four cultures settled in the territory today known as Xalapa. Each of them built a small village: Xalitic (in the sand) was founded by the Totonacas; Techacapan (river of waste) was founded by the Chichimecas; in the northeast Tecuanapan (river of the beasts) was founded by the Toltecas and Tlalnecapan was founded by the Teochichimecas. Chichimeca was the name that the Nahuas generically applied to a wide range of semi- Nomadic peoples who inhabited the north of modern-day Mexico, and carried Toltec-style Vessel 1jpg|thumb|250px|right|A rather expressive orange-ware clay vessel in the Toltec style Moctezuma Ilhuicamina, fifth Aztec Emperor, invaded the territory during the second half of the 15th century; therefore all the land became part of the Aztec Empire until the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores. Moctezuma I (c 1398 – 1469 also known as Motecuhzoma Ilhuicamina, Huehuemotecuhzoma or Montezuma I (Motēuczōma Ilhuicamīna|mo Aztec is a term used to refer to certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who achieved political Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. This article is about the Spanish explorer soldiers of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuriesfor other uses see Conquistador (disambiguation A Conquistador
Eventually around 1313, the four villages grew and joined forming one big village which was given the name Xallapan. In 1519 Hernán Cortés passed through Xalapa enroute to Tenochtitlan. Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro 1st Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca ( 1485&ndash December 2, There are some towns in Mexico which are spelled "Tenochtitlán" like San Lorenzo 1555 saw the final construction of the Franciscan convent which is the second most important event in that time in Nueva España. The term Franciscan is commonly used to refer to members of Catholic A convent is a community of Priests religious brothers religious sisters or Nuns or the building used by the community particularly in the Roman Catholic Church The Viceroyalty of New Spain (Virreinato de Nueva España was a name given to the Viceroy -ruled territories of the Spanish Empire in North America, In 1772 the construction of the Xalapa Cathedral began. Year 1772 ( MDCCLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a This article is about the history and organisation of the cathedral
Xalapa is also known as the "Athens of Veracruz" because of the strong cultural influence of its three major universities, Universidad Veracruzana (the main public university in the State of Veracruz), Universidad de Xalapa and Universidad Anáhuac de Xalapa, and also for the wide variety of cultural events in Xalapa like its theater, museums, and street art. Universidad Veracruzana ( Spanish: University of Veracruz) a public autonomous University located in the Mexican state of Veracruz. Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one A museum is a "permanent institution in the service of society and of its development open to the public which acquires conserves researches communicates and exhibits the
Xalapa also has the widest collection of Diego Rivera's paintings in all Mexico, at a gallery called Pinacoteca Diego Rivera, nearby City Hall and Parque Juárez in the downtown area. Diego Rivera (December 8 1886 &ndash November 24 1957 was born Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. Benito Pablo Juárez García (benit̪o paβ̞lo xwaɾes gaɾsia ( March 21, 1806 – July 18, 1872) was a Zapotec Amerindian
In folklore, the Spaniards believed that Xalapa was the birthplace and home of the "Florecita" (literally little flower), the most beautiful woman in the world. Even today, some people continue to adhere to this belief, and some natives insist that it is not a legend.
It has been a sister city of Covina, California, USA, since 1964. Covina is a city in Los Angeles County, California about 22 miles (35 km east of downtown Los Angeles. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar. It is also twinned with Omaha, Nebraska.
Activities
Cofre de Perote National Park is located 50 km (31 mi) west of Xalapa, off Highway 140. This is one of the most visited nature areas in the state of Veracruz. It covers an area of 117 km² (28,899 acres), which consists mostly of forested mountains. At the foothills of the Cofre de Perote volcano you’ll find various routes where you can set out on a climb that takes about 6 to 10 hours.
Río Filobobos is located 100 km (62 mi) northwest of Xalapa, in the town of Tlapacoyan. Tlapacoyan is a city in Veracruz, Mexico. It is located 2 kilometres from state capital Xalapa-Enríquez on Federal Highways 180 and 190. This river has a 25 km (15 mi) run with class II and III rapids. From September to November the river has class IV rapids. Along the route you’ll see the 20-meter (66-foot) El Encanto waterfall, which is formed from the waters of a natural pool that is 25 meters (82 ft) deep.
Jalcomulco is located 39 km (24 mi) southeast of Xalapa. This place offers various natural attractions, such as the mouth of the Pescados (or Antigua) River. At this spot you’ll find long downhill paths that cut through diverse ecosystems.
Cascada de Texolo (Texolo Waterfall) is located 19 km (12 mi) southwest of Xalapa, in the town of Xico. This 80 meter (264 ft) waterfall drops into a canyon with abundant vegetation, which is home to numerous animal species.
Climate
| Climate chart for Xalapa, Veracruz | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
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42
22
11
|
38
23
11
|
46
27
14
|
61
27
16
|
121
28
17
|
328
26
16
|
203
25
16
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171
26
16
|
270
26
16
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105
25
15
|
67
24
14
|
50
23
12
|
| temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm source: [1] |
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Imperial conversion
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References
- ^ Triedo, Nicolas (February 2008). "[www. mexicodesconocido. com. mx Fin de semana en Xalapa]". Guía México Desconocido 372: 42-48.
- Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005 INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
- Veracruz Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México
External links
- (Spanish) Ayuntamiento de Xalapa Official website
- (English) VisitXalapa – Newest city guide web site for visitors and expats; great forums, business listings, bookstore, and the first Virtual Mexico directory of people who love Xalapa
- (English) Museum of Anthropology Great photos and text by an American tourist
- (Spanish) XalapaTips Free maps and cool information about the city
- (Spanish) iXalapa – local events page. QTVR pictures, free maps and video
- (Spanish) Diez pesitos A guide to enjoying the best of Xalapa with little money
- (Spanish) La Universidad Veracruzana
- [2], a culinary travel guide to Xalapa
- [3], a Yahoo Group about Xalapa
- [4], a WordPress Photo Blog sister site to Xalapa Yahoo Group
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