Alvarado

Alvarado is a port town on the mouth of the powerful Papaloapan and Blanco rivers, two of the most important in Mexico. It's thus also the guardian of a giant lagoon and delta systems that results in a fantastic surrounding landscape. The open sea is also visible from on high above the town, and so it's also a major Gulf coast presence, with at least some sea faring vessels visible immediately upon the visitor's arrival here. One must greet the town, every time, with a simple sense of astonishment.

If that's not enough, the town is still named for the singularly controversial conquistador, Pedro de Alvarado. He was the first European to explore the waters here in 1517-19. He went on to earn infamy during the conquest of Tenochtitlan but that history is here intertwined with a town that seems to bray something of the great might and power of the river arriving here and thus of the peoples and power in the land beyond. The river system is here unconquerable, and Alvarado remains a reminder all along the way.

The town still makes a living exporting sugar and corn from the near hinterland. It's a major seat for the shrimp fishing industry, and that remains the staple item on many a restaurant menu in town. The town has made recent efforts to restore some of its natural beachfront to something like the attractiveness they enjoyed in the mid-20th century. Those decades are recalled in one of Mexico's most spectacular shipwrecks, a Belorussian cruise ship grounded and then abandoned just off the coast. Though it acts an alt-tourism highlight for some visitors, most Veracruzano people take it in stride. One day the sea will reclaim it, too.

Beach restoration efforts have borne fruit, with northern neighborhoods leading to the beaches now almost entirely dedicated to welcoming visitors like you. But closer to the center is a thriving and modern community who meet in the market, and on weekends, celebrate in dozens of sidewalk cafes and impromptu eateries. Most of them are serving shrimp, too. 

It's a nice place to stay halfway between the Puerto and Tlacotalpan. (Tlacotalpan is the next town up this massive and mighty river.) But Alvarado and its namesake bridge have long been landmarks on the Costera highway that runs north and south along the Veracruz coast. It's a fantastic place to visit and one that stays in the memory, even years later.