Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
Hostal La Niebla
In my 2 years of travelling around Mexico, Xalapa was a city I always wanted to visit. Located in the oil-rich state of Vercruz, Xalapa is in the mountains and is home to a very prestigious university. I had always heard good things about the city. I had heard it was always bursting with activity, the climate was cool and the atmosphere was young. I have to say I was not disappointed.
First, let me alleviate any anxiety that may arise around the pronunciation of a word that begins with the letter "X". Xalapa can also be spelled Jalapa and in Spanish "J's" sound like "H's". In fact, the jalapeño pepper comes from Jalapa, well, at least the name does. So, Xalapa is pronounced, "Ha-La-Pa".
Xalapa is about 5 hours east of Mexico City and 2 hours northwest of Veracruz, Veracruz. The only downside to Xalapa is that it does not have an airport. However, both the airport in Mexico City and Veracruz have direct transportation to Xalapa through the company ADO. It is unfortunate that Xalapa is not easily accessible by air. Obviously, for the backpacker type, having or not having an airport is somewhat irrelevant, but for the 4 or 5 star traveler, it may seem like a long way to go.
I actually can't say that I got to see very much of the city, but what I did see I liked. Xalapa is very green and it boasts a lot of parks. The Zocalo itself has a lot of trees and is perched on top of a hill so you get a nice view of the city. Below the Zocalo is a man-made lake with a path around it where you don't even feel like you are in a city. As I sit picturing Xalapa right now to describe it, all I can see are trees.
I had also gone to Xalapa to catch up with a friend of mine that I had met earlier in my travels. We met at a cafe in the late afternoon and he took me for a tour. There were so many people in the streets and vendors that I thought there was something special going on, like a Fiesta or Festival or a Saint's Day. My friend told me that Xalapa was always like that, always teeming with life. I do have to say that the city had somewhat of a congested feeling to it, which is normal for most Mexican cities, but like I said there are so many large parks to escape to.
I did not get to spend very much time in Xalapa. The one place I decided to see, however, absolutely blew me away: el Museo de Antropologia de Xalapa (MAX). Now, as far as anthropology museums go, the museum in Mexico City is supposed to be like Louvre of anthropology museums. I have never seen the one in Mexico City myself because you supposedly need 2 days to see it all, but the one in Xalapa was impressive.
It is small and you would only need about 2 hours to take it all in. The museum is surrounded by a nicely maintained and landscaped green area and some of the artifacts are housed in mini-arboretums inside. The focus of the museum is on the pre-Colombian/pre-Hispanic people of Veracruz. If you had asked me before to name any of people who had lived in Veracruz before the conquest, I wouldn't have had the slightest idea. As it turns out though, one of the more famous indigenous groups called this region home.
The museums pieces are arranged chronologically beginning with the oldest artifacts. So, the first thing you see is a large Olmec head. For all you Simpsons fans out there, you will recall that Mr. Burns gave Homer an Olmec head once as a gift. Apparently, the Olmecs are from Veracruz and there are about 10 of these giant heads in the MAX. The Olmecs are the oldest group in Mexico reaching their height B.C. The Olmecs then gave birth to the rest of the indigenous groups of Mexico including the Mayans and Aztecs.
Apart from the Olmecs, the MAX showcases about 6 other indigenous groups and their art is unbelievable. There are jade masks, jewelry in a variety of materials, tools and statues. The statues are by far the most breathtaking. I can't remember the names of the groups who made them, but that makes them almost more spectacular. The statues are made of clay, in some cases, not stone and are more or less in tact. They range from being a foot tall to almost a meter tall and the detail is unreal. In one room, there are these statues and they are all of women. Each women is unique and is adorned with different headdresses.
I am not going to describe every little thing that was in the MAX because it is definitely a sight to see especially for any anthropology enthusiast. The only down-side is that all the written information is in Spanish, but the museum does offer an audio tour in English.
Sorry for not being able to give more insight into the city itself, like with places to stay or to eat. I guess if I wanted to get anything across about Mexico through this blog is that Mexico is so much more than just beaches and Spring Break. Mexico is a culturally rich country with a complex and proud history. I think it is because of this that the people are so fascinating and fun-loving.
Hostal La Niebla
In my 2 years of travelling around Mexico, Xalapa was a city I always wanted to visit. Located in the oil-rich state of Vercruz, Xalapa is in the mountains and is home to a very prestigious university. I had always heard good things about the city. I had heard it was always bursting with activity, the climate was cool and the atmosphere was young. I have to say I was not disappointed.
First, let me alleviate any anxiety that may arise around the pronunciation of a word that begins with the letter "X". Xalapa can also be spelled Jalapa and in Spanish "J's" sound like "H's". In fact, the jalapeño pepper comes from Jalapa, well, at least the name does. So, Xalapa is pronounced, "Ha-La-Pa".
Xalapa is about 5 hours east of Mexico City and 2 hours northwest of Veracruz, Veracruz. The only downside to Xalapa is that it does not have an airport. However, both the airport in Mexico City and Veracruz have direct transportation to Xalapa through the company ADO. It is unfortunate that Xalapa is not easily accessible by air. Obviously, for the backpacker type, having or not having an airport is somewhat irrelevant, but for the 4 or 5 star traveler, it may seem like a long way to go.
I actually can't say that I got to see very much of the city, but what I did see I liked. Xalapa is very green and it boasts a lot of parks. The Zocalo itself has a lot of trees and is perched on top of a hill so you get a nice view of the city. Below the Zocalo is a man-made lake with a path around it where you don't even feel like you are in a city. As I sit picturing Xalapa right now to describe it, all I can see are trees.
I had also gone to Xalapa to catch up with a friend of mine that I had met earlier in my travels. We met at a cafe in the late afternoon and he took me for a tour. There were so many people in the streets and vendors that I thought there was something special going on, like a Fiesta or Festival or a Saint's Day. My friend told me that Xalapa was always like that, always teeming with life. I do have to say that the city had somewhat of a congested feeling to it, which is normal for most Mexican cities, but like I said there are so many large parks to escape to.
I did not get to spend very much time in Xalapa. The one place I decided to see, however, absolutely blew me away: el Museo de Antropologia de Xalapa (MAX). Now, as far as anthropology museums go, the museum in Mexico City is supposed to be like Louvre of anthropology museums. I have never seen the one in Mexico City myself because you supposedly need 2 days to see it all, but the one in Xalapa was impressive.
It is small and you would only need about 2 hours to take it all in. The museum is surrounded by a nicely maintained and landscaped green area and some of the artifacts are housed in mini-arboretums inside. The focus of the museum is on the pre-Colombian/pre-Hispanic people of Veracruz. If you had asked me before to name any of people who had lived in Veracruz before the conquest, I wouldn't have had the slightest idea. As it turns out though, one of the more famous indigenous groups called this region home.
The museums pieces are arranged chronologically beginning with the oldest artifacts. So, the first thing you see is a large Olmec head. For all you Simpsons fans out there, you will recall that Mr. Burns gave Homer an Olmec head once as a gift. Apparently, the Olmecs are from Veracruz and there are about 10 of these giant heads in the MAX. The Olmecs are the oldest group in Mexico reaching their height B.C. The Olmecs then gave birth to the rest of the indigenous groups of Mexico including the Mayans and Aztecs.
Apart from the Olmecs, the MAX showcases about 6 other indigenous groups and their art is unbelievable. There are jade masks, jewelry in a variety of materials, tools and statues. The statues are by far the most breathtaking. I can't remember the names of the groups who made them, but that makes them almost more spectacular. The statues are made of clay, in some cases, not stone and are more or less in tact. They range from being a foot tall to almost a meter tall and the detail is unreal. In one room, there are these statues and they are all of women. Each women is unique and is adorned with different headdresses.
I am not going to describe every little thing that was in the MAX because it is definitely a sight to see especially for any anthropology enthusiast. The only down-side is that all the written information is in Spanish, but the museum does offer an audio tour in English.
Sorry for not being able to give more insight into the city itself, like with places to stay or to eat. I guess if I wanted to get anything across about Mexico through this blog is that Mexico is so much more than just beaches and Spring Break. Mexico is a culturally rich country with a complex and proud history. I think it is because of this that the people are so fascinating and fun-loving.
