Álamo, Temapache

Álamo Temapache is one of the most important towns in the already fantastic and otherworldly region of the Huasteca in Veracruz. Although the town of Álamo is officially the seat of the municipality of Temapache, the two place names seem to switch back and forth with such frequency that today most registries list the name of the municipality as "Álamo Temapache." The two places together, the town and the surrounding municipality both bear such a weight of culture and history that are interchangeable and still important and fun to refer to.

The region is famous for the wealth of oranges grown here. The massive statue of the orange harvester is known as El Colotero, that is, the worker carrying the colote, the giant basket. The region produces some 750,000 of oranges every year. The statue by sculptor Miguel Vargas Martíne was unveiled in 2004 and has become a symbol of the city and a tribute to the many workers laboring in the orange groves. 

Prior to El Colotero, the town was centered around the old Church of Santiago Apóstol. Begun in 1540, it's still at the geographic center of the town. But today true centrality is up for grabs. There is a magnificent and must-see municipal market. But this competes with the Sunday tianguis, beloved, important, and ancestral. There had been a street market here long before the Spanish arrived. It's still an important social and cultural event, basically every week. 

People come for the shopping and for the experience of the tianguis, but a visit the old Hacienda de la Noria or the Salto waterfall just makes it that much sweeter. The Pantepec River flows north of town, and is burgeoning with swimming areas, and more organized trips into the surrounding woodlands. The name Álamo comes from the trees that grow so well on either side of the river here. And that's part of the Huasteca people come for.

Some good number of visitors will get to Alamo from Tuxpam, further down the river, if not exactly on the coast. It's a bit less than an hour drive. Most direct buses to Alamo will arrive from Poza Rica, about an hour to the south, and nearly all buses from Mexico City will expect you to change buses in Poza Rica along the journey that takes about four hours in total. Both Futura and Conexión run buses Mexico City. From Veracruz city, the journey will also take about four hours.