Misantla
Encyclopedia
Misantla is a city in the Mexican state of Veracruz
, the administrative seats of the municipality
(municipio) of the same name. The municipality is bordered by Martínez de la Torre, Colipa
and Papantla
.
Travelwise, Misantla is about 35 km (21.7 mi) from the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico
, however, there are not good reliable roads to the Coast. Misantla is located two hours North of Xalapa
(the capital of the state) on Veracruz State Highway 65, a most scenic mountain route, well-paved. Federal Highways 180 and 129
are on either side of it. Misantla has Pre-Columbian pyramid
, located N.W. of town.
It is the municipal seat of several different communities such as Morelos, Guerrero, el Pozón, Buenos Aires, Arroyo Hondo, etc. In the local Native American
Totonac language it means "place of the Deer", although there are no longer deer in the wild. Misantla is over 450 years old, it was founded by the Spanish conquistador
s and the Native population. Weather in Misantla is very hot and humid. The main crops are coffee beans, oranges and corn. Misantla is not only an agricultural community but also people raise cattle for a living. In the city, vendors invaded the pretty streets with street commerce, thus street commerce is another very common activity.
Misantla is also known as La Tierra del Cachichin ("land of Cachichin"). Cachichin is a very sour, unpleasant nut which used to be abundant; nowadays, however, the nut is steadily disappearing.
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
, the administrative seats of the municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
(municipio) of the same name. The municipality is bordered by Martínez de la Torre, Colipa
Colipa
Colipa is a small town in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It has a population of about 3,000. The weather is generally hot and the rainy season runs from October through December.It is located at 19°55' N, 96°42' W, less than 20 km from the Gulf Coast....
and Papantla
Papantla
Papantla is a city and municipality located in the north of the state of Veracruz, Mexico, in the Sierra Papanteca range and on the Gulf of Mexico. The city was founded in the 13th century by the Totonacs and has dominated the Totonacapan region of the state since then...
.
Travelwise, Misantla is about 35 km (21.7 mi) from the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, however, there are not good reliable roads to the Coast. Misantla is located two hours North of Xalapa
Xalapa
Xalapa-Enríquez, commonly Xalapa or Jalapa, is the capital city of the Mexican state of Veracruz and the name of the surrounding municipality. 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...
(the capital of the state) on Veracruz State Highway 65, a most scenic mountain route, well-paved. Federal Highways 180 and 129
Mexican Federal Highway
Mexican Federal Highways, are roads maintained and built by the federal government of Mexico, through the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation ....
are on either side of it. Misantla has Pre-Columbian pyramid
Mesoamerican pyramids
Mesoamerican pyramids, pyramid-shaped structures, are an important part of ancient Mesoamerican architecture. These structures were usually step pyramids with temples on top – more akin to the ziggurats of Mesopotamia than to the pyramids of Ancient Egypt...
, located N.W. of town.
It is the municipal seat of several different communities such as Morelos, Guerrero, el Pozón, Buenos Aires, Arroyo Hondo, etc. In the local Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
Totonac language it means "place of the Deer", although there are no longer deer in the wild. Misantla is over 450 years old, it was founded by the Spanish conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
s and the Native population. Weather in Misantla is very hot and humid. The main crops are coffee beans, oranges and corn. Misantla is not only an agricultural community but also people raise cattle for a living. In the city, vendors invaded the pretty streets with street commerce, thus street commerce is another very common activity.
Misantla is also known as La Tierra del Cachichin ("land of Cachichin"). Cachichin is a very sour, unpleasant nut which used to be abundant; nowadays, however, the nut is steadily disappearing.