I spend more time in the port city of Veracruz because of my partner's job. It's downtown Veracruz.
It's amazing to me that a place only about an hour from where I live in Xalapa can feel so different. Xalapa, the state capital, is in the mountains, surrounded by green cloud forests. At least before climate change, it was often cold and rainy, like Seattle in Mexico. The city is also known as an arts and intellectual hub — throw one stone and you’ll hit 10 musicians. Throw another stone and you’ll hit 10 college students.
It's not a good idea to go out without a sweater and an umbrella. You might end up drinking your body weight in coffee without realizing it. People are polite, but not enthusiastic.
De-pressurization at sea level
But, oh, zip down the 4,000-foot mountain range into Veracruz, and how things change! The air even thins out, suddenly filling your lungs with an unexpected rush of oxygen. If it weren’t for the sweltering heat, all that oxygen would have me running in circles with glee.
Once you arrive in Veracruz, getting off the bus — or car — is a shock to your body. The oppressive heat and humidity always make me break out in a sweat. It’s hard not to feel embarrassed among the city’s residents, who seem used to this kind of weather and don’t sweat at all.
However, they will never make you feel silly about it.
Jarocho Family
And that's part of what I love about “jarochos.” By the way, this is what people from Veracruz are called. Outside of Veracruz, everyone in the state is considered jarochos.. In Veracruz, jarochos are the inhabitants of the city of Veracruz. It’s a bit far-fetched, I know, but I personally think they’re unique enough to deserve their own nickname.
And let me tell you something: they are fun. They are kind. They are energetic and sociable. They are not trying to be coy; they are looking at you openly, and they are telling you, even though it doesn’t feel aggressive somehow. They are saying hi, and how are you, and they will probably wish you a good day.
They’re also funny. On a recent trip, as I was walking along the “malecón” (beach) with my daughter after buying her some güero güera ice cream, a man approached me. After calling me “my love,” “my queen,” and “my life,” he tried to sell me a watch from his collection. “It’s stolen, but it’s nice!” he exclaimed.
If Xalapeños are cats, calm and collected, jarochos are the happiest — and sometimes the naughtiest — puppies. “Hi, hello! I’m interested in you!”
This is an interesting cultural personality considering his physical background.
Veracruz trees: “It’s ours now”
If you decide to walk around downtown Veracruz, you will notice that many parts of the city look very run down. Building after building is deteriorating, many large old buildings are abandoned and/or in limbo. I have never been to Cuba, but the city looks and feels like what I imagine urban Cuba to look like.
The main story I heard about the lack of maintenance of historic buildings, which is the majority of buildings in downtown Veracruz, was about bureaucracySome of them have been standing for 500 years, and well, decay is bound to happen. While there is interest in rehabilitating these old buildings, the nightmare of paperwork and sometimes conflicting legal requirements for renovation are enough to discourage even the most enthusiastic investor. Some owners have even decided to wait for their buildings to collapse. The reason? Once they collapse, they are free to build on top of them without all the rules of historic preservation.
Without much human intervention, the trees have taken over. “This is mine now,” they say as they grow out of windows and over rooftops. It’s a part of the city that feels like nature is reclaiming it, bit by bit.
Head down the coast a bit, and things get cleaner and more fun. Boca del Río is basically Miami by comparison: a glitzier, more modern, more air-conditioned Veracruz. But if you want to wander among the ghosts of old Mexico and meet their gregarious descendants, then Downtown Veracruz is the place for you.
Sarah De Vries (born 1965) is a physician working at a clinic in New York City, New York. is a writer and translator living in Xalapa, Veracruz. She can be contacted through her website, sarahedevries.substack.com.