A Long Weekend in Veracruz

Don’t you love holiday weekends? I certainly do. This past weekend was an extended one for us here in Mexico. November 20th is el Día de la Revolución (Revolution Day), and it was observed on Monday, November 16. I was invited by my novio Roberto to spend the weekend in his hometown of Poza Rica, Veracruz. With much appreciation and gratitude, I accepted this invitation and we headed out late Friday night. We boarded the bus in the nick of time, and after a 4 ½ hour ride west to the coast of Mexico, we arrived.

On Saturday morning, I was introduced to Roberto’s wonderful family—his mom, his dad, and his two younger sisters, Arlette and Frida. They were incredibly friendly, and they made me feel right at home (something I really appreciated.) His mom made us a delicious breakfast of chilaquiles, eggs, steak, and yummy frijolitos. After breakfast, Roberto and I took a quick ride over to visit his grandparents, who also live in Poza Rica. They were really nice, and it was great just to sit around and chat for a bit. I also got to meet Roberto’s older cousin, Edwin, who was visiting from Villahermosa, Tabasco.

Roberto’s grandparents were nice enough to loan us their pickup truck for a trip to the beach, and we invited Edwin to come along with us. I thoroughly enjoyed the gorgeous tropical scenery during our 40-minute ride to the coast. Can you imagine living that close to the beach?! So awesome!

We visited the Playa Cazones, which is a tiny fisherman-like village tucked away along the shore. I liked the fact that it was a quiet, cozy location with few tourists. The beach was very similar to the Atlantic beaches in the U.S. Roberto and I, of course brought along our swim gear to catch some waves. I would have loved to have had a boogie board as the waves were perfect for this, but oh well. Unfortunately, the lifeguard kept calling us in to where the waves were breaking. I couldn’t understand why, but he later explained that the ocean floor drops off significantly where we were at.

After a bit, we came in and walked along the shore in search of pretty shells. Mother-of-pearl is always my favorite seashell find, and I found plenty of it. We enjoyed a lovely lunch-dinner on the beach of stuffed fish, shrimp, and seafood stew. I loved breathing in the refreshing salty beach air as I watched the sun dip over the hill.

When we came back on Saturday night, we traveled to this lookout location and observed the nighttime landscape of Poza Rica. It reminded me very much of Pittsburgh at night minus the three rivers. There was a mini concert going on, and this little kid in a cowboy hat riding a tricycle was very entertaining and funny to watch.

On Sunday morning, Roberto, Arlette, Frida, and I ventured to Papantla for breakfast. We ate a classic dish native to this area called zacahuil—a giant tamale cooked in a banana leaf. It was so scrumptious and definitely better than the average tamale. Afterwards, we headed to Tajín the Totonaco pyramid site that is about 10 minutes from Roberto’s house. Before entering the pyramid site, we got to observe the famous Voladores de Papantla (Flyers of Papantla). This dance is traditionally performed by the Totonaco Indians. First, five men climb to the top of a very tall pole. Then, one stays at the top and plays the flute while the other four descend by flying in circles on a rope tied to one foot. The rope unwraps itself 13 times for each of the four flyers, symbolizing the 52 weeks of the year. It was quite amazing, and I was so impressed by how relaxed these guys were flying round and round in the air.

After the fantastic show, we headed into Tajín to check out the pyramids. Tajín means “City of Thunder” in the Totonaco language, and it was a very important town in Veracruz from 600-900 AD. On our journey among the pyramids, we refreshed ourselves with a delicious snack of oranges slices with chile and fresh sugarcane. Yum-o!

It was very striking to see the beautifully constructed stone pyramids surrounded by lush green jungle. Tajín’s most emblematic structure is the Pyramid of the Niches. It is believed that there were originally 365 niches, suggesting that the building may have been used as a kind of calendar.

The Totonaco Indians were known for human sacrifice connected with the classic ball game. We had our own reenactment of a Totonaco sacrifice and Roberto’s brave sister, Arlette, served as our victim. What a good sport. Thanks, Arlette! :-)

On Sunday afternoon, Roberto’s mom made a wonderful dinner and invited the whole family over (aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents) to enjoy it. I really loved meeting everyone, and it was so great to sit around and appreciate good company. There was lots of laughing (something I am always grateful for) and it was nice to spend time with family. Roberto took me for a quick trip to downtown Coatzintla (the town in which he officially lives.) There were some fantastic stone murals adorning the municipal building. They tell the story of Coatzintla from ancient times to present day, and I was very impressed by the amount of detail and thought that was put into each one.

On Monday morning, the house was abuzz with people. Roberto’s family owns a company that supplies characters, balloons, and entertainment for parties in the area, and everyone was gathered together to take some pictures. There were luchadores (wrestlers), Disney characters—Tinker Bell and Jasmine, Spiderman, Doki, and many other characters. It was fun seeing everyone in their costumes, and I was glad to help out with some of the photography. The weekend came to an end too fast, but every moment was certainly enjoyed. Roberto’s family accompanied us to the bus station, and we headed back to DF.

Click for more pictures!

Abrazos, Nicole