Map of Veracruz

History

During the pre-Columbian era, Veracruz was populated mainly by four Indigenous groups: the Huastecs and Otomis in the north, the Totonacs in the center north, and the Olmecs in the south. Archaeological remains of these civilizations are preserved at sites including Cempoala, Castillo de Teayo, El Tajín, El Zapotal, Las Higueras, Quiahuiztlan, Pánuco, San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán, and Tres Zapotes.

The first major civilization in the territory of the current state was that of the Olmecs, centered in the Coatzacoalcos River region. Its principal ceremonial site was San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán, with other important centers including Tres Zapotes in the city of Veracruz and La Venta in Tabasco.

Geography

The state is a crescent-shaped strip of land wedged between the Sierra Madre Oriental (Eastern Sierra Madre) to the west and the Gulf of Mexico to the east. Its total area is 78,815 km2 (30,431 mi2), accounting for about 3.7% of Mexico's total territory. It stretches about 650 km (403.9 mi) north to south, but its width varies from between 212 and 36 km (132 and 22 mi), with an average of about 100 km (62 mi) in width. Its coastline along the Gulf of Mexico extends for 690 km (429 mi).

Veracruz borders the states of Tamaulipas to the north; Chiapas and Oaxaca to the south; Tabasco to the southeast; and Hidalgo, Puebla, and San Luis Potosí to the west.

Economy

Veracruz has one of Mexico's leading economies, based on agriculture and petroleum.

The primary sector of the economy (agriculture, forestry, and fishing) has been important since pre-Hispanic times and continues to be so both as a source of income as well as culturally. The state has abundant rainfall and extremely fertile soils, as well as a long coastline and forest containing a wide variety of trees and other plants.

Cultivable land covers about 1 million hectares (2,471,053.8 acres), half of which are privately owned and 43% are ejido or communal. The rest is occupied by human settlements. There are 3,620 units are parceled out to 270,000 ejido members.

Demographics

The state of Veracruz, especially its port, has been a crossroads for various cultures since the very early colonial period. The port of Veracruz has brought cargo, sailors, seamen, and slaves from various parts of the world, especially from the Caribbean and Europe. The state has Indigenous cultural influences mixed with those from Europe, Africa, and the Afro-Caribbean. These can be best found in the state's music, its culinary traditions, and the people themselves.

The number of ethnic communities in the state has been calculated at 2,062. The most numerous include the Nahuas, Totonacs, Huastecs, Popoluca, Zapotecas, Chinantecas, Otomi, Mazatec, Tepehuas, Mixtecs, Zoque, Mixes, Mayas, and Tzotzils, all Indigenous groups.