Jalapa Attractions 
How to get there
By rail from Mexico City in about 8.5 hours, from Veracruz in about 4 hours; by bus from Mexico City and Veracruz; by car from Mexico City 315km/196mi on the MEX 140, from Veracruz about 120km/75mi on the MEX 180/140.
Jalapa, capital of Veracruz state, is built on a number of hills in a garden-like region at the foot of the Cerro de Macuiltepec. It is surrounded by high mountains, with the Cofre de Perote (Nauhcampatépetl) towering above the others, and to the south can be seen the Pico de Orizaba (Citlaltépetl), Mexico's highest mountain. This situation gives the region an abundant rainfall and at times heavy cloud cover, promoting a luxuriant growth of vegetation.
History
When Cortés passed through Jalapa (Náhuatl name "Xallaapan", or "river in the sand") in 1519 on his way to Tenochtitlán it was a flourishing Indian settlement under Aztec influence. After the Conquest Spaniards settled here in large numbers. During the colonial period Jalapa was famed for its annual fair, at which goods brought from Spain by the returning ''silver ships" were sold. Lying 120km/75mi from Veracruz and 300km/185mi from Mexico City, it later became a staging point on the mailcoach route.
Narrow streets and alleyways, their gaily coloured houses and luxuriant gardens dating from the Spanish period, contrast strikingly with the wide avenues of the newer districts. There are few colonial buildings of note, the most interesting being the huge late 18th c. cathedral situated diagonally opposite the Parque Juarez. Across on the other side of the park stands the pale-coloured government building.
By rail from Mexico City in about 8.5 hours, from Veracruz in about 4 hours; by bus from Mexico City and Veracruz; by car from Mexico City 315km/196mi on the MEX 140, from Veracruz about 120km/75mi on the MEX 180/140.
Jalapa, capital of Veracruz state, is built on a number of hills in a garden-like region at the foot of the Cerro de Macuiltepec. It is surrounded by high mountains, with the Cofre de Perote (Nauhcampatépetl) towering above the others, and to the south can be seen the Pico de Orizaba (Citlaltépetl), Mexico's highest mountain. This situation gives the region an abundant rainfall and at times heavy cloud cover, promoting a luxuriant growth of vegetation.
History
When Cortés passed through Jalapa (Náhuatl name "Xallaapan", or "river in the sand") in 1519 on his way to Tenochtitlán it was a flourishing Indian settlement under Aztec influence. After the Conquest Spaniards settled here in large numbers. During the colonial period Jalapa was famed for its annual fair, at which goods brought from Spain by the returning ''silver ships" were sold. Lying 120km/75mi from Veracruz and 300km/185mi from Mexico City, it later became a staging point on the mailcoach route.
Narrow streets and alleyways, their gaily coloured houses and luxuriant gardens dating from the Spanish period, contrast strikingly with the wide avenues of the newer districts. There are few colonial buildings of note, the most interesting being the huge late 18th c. cathedral situated diagonally opposite the Parque Juarez. Across on the other side of the park stands the pale-coloured government building.
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Museum of Anthropology
The Museum of Anthropology in Jalapa is one of the best of its kind in Mexico. It features thousands of exhibits that focus on pre-Columbian cultures, such as the Olmecs, Huastecs, Remoyada, and Totonacs.
Jalapa Surroundings
Banderilla - Jardin Lecouna, Mexico
7km/4.5mi north-west of Jalapa on the MEX 140 Puebla road lies the garden city of Banderilla with the beautiful Jardin Lecuona, a botanic garden with more than 200 species of orchids alone.
Coatapec, Mexico
16km/10mi south of Jalapa lies Coatapec, an old Indian village surrounded by tropical forests with abundant plant life of interest to the botanically minded. The coffee plantation enjoys the reputation of producing the best coffee in Mexico.
El Lencero
12km/7.5mi from Jalapa on the Veracruz road is the great hacienda known as El Lencero, built by a comrade-in-arms of Cortés. The drive leading up to it is roofed over with large trees. Parts of the buildings and gardens were recently restored in the correct style and now accurately reflect the 450-year history of the Mexican hacienda.
Perote, Mexico
53km/33mi further on past Jardin Lecouna lies the town of Perote (2400 m (7875 ft); population 40,000), at the foot of the volcano known as Cofre ("coffer, chest") de Perote (Nauhcampatépetl for "square mountain"; 4282 m (14,049 ft)). On the outskirts of the town stands the forbidding Fort San Carlos de Perote, built in the 18th c. to control bandits and rebels and later used as a prison.
