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Coatzacoalcos

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Overview

Coatzacoalcos is an industrial port city at the southern tip of the state of Veracruz. It has limited appeal to tourists, but serves as a transportation hub between the main body of Mexico, the Yucatan peninsula, and Cen

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External sources

Wikivoyage Wikipedia

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Industrial pulse and the urban rhythm

Coatzacoalcos is the engine of Mexico’s petrochemical corridor, a reality that colours everyday life far beyond the port’s cranes. The scent of diesel mingles with fresh sea breezes, while workers in bright safety gear flood the streets during shift changes, turning traffic patterns into a living timetable. Small cafés open early to serve commuters, offering strong café de olla that fuels the morning rush. This industrial cadence creates a paradox: a city that feels both a bustling manufacturing hub and a coastal settlement, where the hum of processing plants is audible alongside the distant clatter of fishing boats. Visitors who tune into this tempo gain insight into how Mexico balances heavy industry with its maritime heritage.

Culinary crossroads of the Gulf

Beyond the familiar tacos al pastor, Coatzacoalcos dishes up a culinary mix shaped by Gulf trade routes. The local market stalls showcase lagunero fish like mullet and shark, often grilled and served with a squeeze of sour orange, a citrus introduced by Caribbean merchants centuries ago. Street vendors blend indigenous corn‑based recipes with spices from the Caribbean, resulting in dishes such as panuchos topped with a drizzle of avocado‑lime crema. For a more refined experience, modest family‑run restaurants serve broth‑rich seafood stews that echo the flavours of neighbouring Tabasco. Sampling these foods provides a tangible narrative of the city’s role as a maritime conduit, where every bite hints at a broader network of exchange.

Navigating the avenues like a local

Coatzacoalcos earned its nickname ‘City of Avenues’ not merely for grid‑like streets but for the subtle hierarchy that locals use to move around. The main arterial, Avenida Pájaros, teems with buses and minibuses, yet the most efficient shortcuts lie in the narrower side‑streets where motorbikes zip past pedestrians. Early mornings, before the commuter surge, are the best time to explore the riverfront promenade on foot; the heat is milder and the occasional vendor offers freshly pressed sugarcane juice. Renting a bicycle for a few hours lets you thread through residential neighbourhoods where colourful murals tell stories of pre‑colonial cultures, giving a perspective that traditional tours often overlook.

Introduction

For the station, see Coatzacoalcos railway station. City and municipality in Veracruz, MexicoCoatzacoalcosCity and municipalityTop: Panoramic view of Coatzacoalcos Middle: Olmec Archaeology Museum, Cathedral of Saint Joseph Bottom: National flag at the seafront SealNickname: La Ciudad de las Avenidas ('The City of Avenues')CoatzacoalcosLocation in MexicoShow map of VeracruzCoatzacoalcosCoatzacoalcos (Mexico)Show map of MexicoCoordinates: 18°08′29″N 94°26′04″W / 18.14139°N 94.43444°W / 18.14139; -94.43444CountryMexicoStateVeracruzRegionOlmeca RegionMunicipalityCoatzacoalcosFounded1522Government • Municipal presidentAmado Jesús Cruz Malpica MORENAArea • Municipality309.2 km2 (119.4 sq mi)Highest elevation50 m (160 ft)Lowest elevation0 m (0 ft)Population (2020) • Municipality310,698 (3rd in Veracruz) • Density1,000/km2 (2,600/sq mi) • Seat212,540 • Metro354,606 • Metro density714.64/km2 (1,850.9/sq mi)Time zoneUTC−6 (CST)Postal code96380–96599Area code921Websitewww.coatzacoalcos.gob.mx(in Spanish) Coatzacoalcos (Spanish: [koatsakoˈalkos]; formerly known as Puerto México; Nahuatl languages: Koatzakwalko; Zapotec: Niniashi; Popoluca: Puertu) is a major port city in the southern part of the Mexican state of Veracruz, mostly on the western side of the Coatzacoalcos River estuary, on the Bay of Campeche, on the southern Gulf of Mexico coast. The city serves as the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name. The city had a 2020 census population of 212,540, making it the third-largest city in the state after Veracruz and Xalapa. The municipality covers a surface area of 471.16 km2 (181.916 sq mi) and reported a population of 310,698 persons. The municipality population in 2015 was 319,187 a decrease of 9% over 2020.

History

[edit] Coatzacoalcos waterfront, circa 1904 Coatzacoalcos sits within the Olmec heartland. Excavations in 2008 for a tunnel under the Coatzacoalcos River indicate a substantial pre-Hispanic population. By the time the Spanish arrived, Coatzacoalcos was an important center of regional trade and the capital of an extensive polity covering much of the modern Olmeca Region and perhaps reaching into the westernmost portions of the state of Tabasco. At some point there was a conflict with the Aztec garrison at Tuxtepec, and Aztec pochteca were later allowed safe passage in order to travel to Tabasco, though it never became an Aztec subject state. Nahuas were the predominant ethnicity, speaking the local Isthmus dialect, but the region was also inhabited by many Popolucas speaking Mixe-Zoque languages. Small Mixtec and Zapotec populations were reported in the Relaciones geográficas, but not much is known about them. In 1522, Hernán Cortés ordered Gonzalo de Sandoval to fund a settlement near Guazacualco. Sandoval named it Villa del Espíritu Santo. San Martín Tuxtla is an active volcano lying northwest of Coatzcoalcos in the Sierra de los Tuxtlas. It erupted in 1664, in May 1793 with large ash falls and lava flows, and most recently in 1796. The town was elevated to the category of port in 1825 and the name was changed to Coatzacoalcos. The municipality of Coatzacoalcos was established 22 December 1881, with the town as its seat. In 1900 the town name was changed to Puerto México. In 1911 it was elevated to city, and in 1936 the name was changed to the current Coatzacoalcos. On 23 July 1940, Coatzacoalcos welcomed refugees from the Spanish Civil War who sought asylum in Mexico after travelling across the Atlantic aboard the SS Santo Domingo. In 1959, the city suffered damage from an Mw 6.4 earthquake. Coatzacoalcos became a very important crossroads during the oil boom of the 1970s, connecting the Yucatán Peninsula and oil fields in Campeche to the rest of Mexico and to the port of Salina Cruz in Oaxaca on the Pacific coast.

Geography and climate

[edit] The city is located at 18°9′N 94°26′W / 18.150°N 94.433°W / 18.150; -94.433 where the Coatzacoalcos River debouches into the Bay of Campeche. Overland it is connected by road and rail to the Pacific Ocean about 160 kilometres (99 mi) away. This location has prompted plans for an interoceanic waterway across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, or for a much expanded railroad system, for over a century. In the Köppen climate classification the climate is classified as Am for a tropical monsoon climate. A typical year sees more than 290 centimetres (110 in) of rainfall. Lying on the Gulf of Mexico, Coatzacoalcos has been struck by several hurricanes and tropical storms such as Hurricane Diana in August 1990, Hurricane Mitch in November 1998, Tropical Storm Larry in October 2003, Hurricane Stan in October 2005, Hurricane Dean in August 2007, Tropical Storm Marco in October 2008, Tropical Storm Hermine in early September 2010, Hurricane Karl in mid September 2010, Tropical Storm Matthew in late September 2010, Hurricane Richard in October 2010 and Hurricane Agatha in late May 2022. The winter months are cooler and drier than the summer months. Occasionally, cold high pressure cells from North America drift south across the Gulf of Mexico and drive strong Tehuano winds across the Isthmus, with very strong wind concentration taking place in Chivela Pass in Oaxaca. Climate data for Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz (1981–2000) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C (°F) 39.5(103.1) 40.0(104.0) 39.1(102.4) 41.2(106.2) 42.5(108.5) 43.0(109.4) 40.0(104.0) 39.0(102.2) 38.0(100.4) 38.3(100.9) 35.6(96.1) 37.2(99.0) 43.0(109.4) Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 25.6(78.1) 26.6(79.9) 28.9(84.0) 31.0(87.8) 32.1(89.8) 31.8(89.2) 30.6(87.1) 30.8(87.4) 30.3(86.5) 29.0(84.2) 28.0(82.4) 26.2(79.2) 29.2(84.6) Daily mean °C (°F) 22.6(72.7) 23.6(74.5) 25.3(77.5) 27.3(81.1) 28.6(83.5) 28.4(83.1) 27.1(80.8) 27.8(82.0) 27.3(81.1) 26.2(79.2) 25.2(77.4) 23.5(74.3) 26.1(79.0) Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 19.6(67.3) 20.5(68.9) 21.7(71.1) 23.5(74.3) 25.2(77.4) 25.0(77.0) 23.6(74.5) 24.7(76.5) 24.2(75.6) 23.4(74.1) 22.4(72.3) 20.8(69.4) 22.9(73.2) Record low °C (°F) 11.7(53.1) 9.6(49.3) 11.8(53.2) 12.0(53.6) 19.1(66.4) 19.9(67.8) 17.1(62.8) 20.8(69.4) 19.0(66.2) 18.0(64.4) 14.9(58.8) 12.0(53.6) 9.6(49.3) Average precipitation mm (inches) 95.1(3.74) 58.2(2.29) 46.1(1.81) 48.4(1.91) 155.2(6.11) 234.8(9.24) 268.2(10.56) 311.0(12.24) 506.2(19.93) 364.6(14.35) 265.8(10.46) 223.6(8.80) 2,577.1(101.46) Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 11.0 6.3 4.6 4.7 5.1 12.9 14.9 19.1 19.9 14.1 12.6 11.6 136.6 Average relative humidity (%) 82 80 73 74 75 77 79 79 80 78 80 81 78 Mean monthly sunshine hours 132 143 192 211 209 195 199 199 166 159 147 123 2,075 Source: Servicio Meteorológico Nacional

Demographics

[edit] Historical populationYearPop.±%1995 259,069—    2000 267,212+3.1%2005 380,363+42.3%2010 305,260−19.7%2015 319,187+4.6%2020 310,698−2.7% In 2020, the municipality reported a population of 310,698 inhabitants, 212,540 residing in the municipal seat, which makes it the 3rd largest in the state after Veracruz and Xalapa. Other townships include Olmec City (24,085 hab.), Gavilán de Allende (23,351 hab.), Villa San Martín (15,659 hab.) and Puerto Esmeralda (9,585 hab.). Coatzacoalcos is the seat of a Metropolitan Area, which together with the municipalities of Ixhuatlán del Sureste and Nanchital de Lázaro Cárdenas del Río had a population of 354,606 in 2020.

Transportation

[edit] Coatzacoalcos has been a transportation hub for hundreds of years. It is connected via air, water, road, and rail to the surrounding region and the rest of the world. The Minatitlán/Coatzacoalcos National Airport is 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) away in Cosoleacaque and has been an international airport since August 2006. The Port of Coatzacoalcos (Puerto México) is an international port of entry that provides transhipment of oil and petrochemicals. After an upgrade to the railway along the Tehuantepec Route was opened in 1907 by Porfirio Díaz the port saw an increase of shipping via the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, particularly from the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company. The port saw a decrease in traffic after the opening of the Panama Canal from 1914 on, but traffic has started to build up since the oil boom of the 1970s. The railway is now known as the Ferrocarril Transístmico ("Trans-Isthmic Railroad"). The CG Railway operates train ferries between the Port of Coatzacoalcos and the United States at the Port of Mobile in Alabama. Ferrosur also provides rail service in and out of Coatzacoalcos as far southeast as Las Choapas, to the north and west to Veracruz and Mexico City, as well as to the south over the Tehuantepec route now owned by Ferrocarril Transístmico from Medias Aguas to Salina Cruz in the state of Oaxaca. Mexican Federal Highway 180 follows the southern shore of the Bay of Campeche through Coatzacoalcos to the Yucatán Peninsula. Highway 180 and a rail line to Allende have been carried over the Coatzacoalcos River via the 1910 built Coatza I bridge for more than a century. A second cable stayed bridge known as Coatza II or Antonio Dovalí Jaime was built to the south to carry more road traffic over the river. It was constructed starting in 1979 and was opened by President Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado on 17 October 1984. Coatza II has a center span of 288 metres (945 ft) and an overall length of 698.25 metres (2,290.8 ft). A ferry operates between the city of Coatzacoalcos and Allende, which in 2017 was supplemented by a 1.1-kilometre (0.68 mi) underwater tunnel that carries four lanes of traffic. Coatzacoalcos is also the northern terminus of Mexican Federal Highway 185, which links it with the Pacific Ocean at Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, on the other side of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.