Cordoba, Mexico Tourist Attractions

How to get thereFrom Mexico City by rail in about 7 hours; by bus in about 5 hours; by car via the MEX 150 (about 305km/189mi).Picturesque Córdoba lies amidst the lush greenery of the valley of the Río Seco, at the eastern end of the Orizaba-Córdoba section of the still incomplete motorway from Mexico City to Veracruz (the other completed section being Mexico City-Puebla). Tropical fruit is cultivated in the lower-lying areas bordering the hot coastal plain, while coffee and tobacco are grown at middle altitudes. Higher up still, many of the mountain slopes are covered with cedar forest and nut groves.History Córdoba (named after the Andalusian city and old Moorish capital) was founded by the Spanish in 1618. It was here on August 24th 1821 that the Treaty of Córdoba, agreed between General Agustín de Iturbide (who later had himself crowned Emperor of Mexico) and the last Spanish viceroy Juan O'Donojú, was signed giving recognition to Mexico's independence. It was some years, however, before the treaty was accepted in Spain.SightsA strong Andalusian-Moorish influence is still evident in many of the houses, especially the ancient, solid wooden doors, heavily barred windows and wooden balconies. Two buildings of particular note stand on the arcaded main square (or zócalo), the neo-Classical-style Town Hall (Palacio Municipal) and, at the edge of the square, the Hotel Zevallos, the latter being of historical interest as the place where the Treaty of Córdoba was concluded. Another historic landmark is the Casa Quemada ("burnt house") on the corner of Calle 7 and Avenida 5, where a small group of Mexican rebels fought to the death with Spanish forces at the outbreak of the War of Independence.