La Antigua (Veracruz)
| La Antigua | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Coordinates: 19 ° 19 ′ N , 96 ° 19 ′ W La Antigua on the map of Veracruz
|
||
| Basic data | ||
| Country | Mexico | |
| State | Veracruz | |
| Municipio | La Antigua | |
| City foundation | 1525 | |
| Residents | 988 (2010) | |
| Detailed data | ||
| height | 9 m | |
| Post Code | 91687 | |
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
La Antigua is a town in the Mexican state of Veracruz , about 25 km north of the port city of Veracruz in the municipality of La Antigua . The place on the river of the same name has only about 1000 inhabitants today, but was important in the early phase of the Spanish colonization . Its main attraction is the the time on behalf of Hernán Cortés built Casa de Cortés .
history
On Good Friday in 1519, the first Spanish fleet landed on Mexican soil. The settlement built on this site by the Spanish sailors under the direction of Hernán Cortés was named Villa Rica (Rich City). She is considered the original, the first Veracruz .
Because sometimes violent north winds raged in this rather unprotected place in winter, the Spaniards relocated their settlement to the south just a few years later, exactly to the place where La Antigua is today. The place, populated since 1525, is considered the second Veracruz . The treasures collected from the Spanish colonial areas (Mexico, South America and the Philippines ) were stored here for decades and then shipped via Havana to Spain.
Around 1585 the island of San Juan de Ulúa was expanded to become the new main port. Today's port of the (third) city of Veracruz was built around it, and a fort was later built on the former island, which is now connected to the mainland, to protect against pirate attacks. Around 1600 the port of La Antigua was shut down forever. As a result, the settlement disappeared into insignificance. It is mainly thanks to the Casa de Cortés , the former house of the conqueror Hernán Cortés that has fallen into ruin over the centuries, that at least a small number of tourists visit the sleepy coastal village.
Literature and web links
- Bernardo García Díaz: The State of Veracruz (Ediciones Nueva Guía, SA de CV, 2002), p. 93 ISBN 968-5437-28-9
- Report on La Antigua on the Internet (English)