Veracruz is Mexico's oldest, largest, and historically most significant port since European colonization. Veracruz has a blend of cultures, mostly indigenous, ethnic Spanish and Afro-Cuban. The influence of these three is best seen in the food and music of the area, which has strong Spanish, Caribbean and African influences. Veracruz was the first town founded by the Spanish in Mexico, a few days after Cortés’s arrival on Good Friday, 1519. Though today’s city occupies the area of coast where he first came ashore, made camp and encountered Aztec emissaries, the earliest development little more than a wooden stockade was in fact established some way to the north before being moved to La Antigua and finally arriving at its present site in 1589. The modern city is very much the heir of the original; still the largest port on the Gulf coast, its history reflects every major event from the Conquest onwards.

Your first, and lasting, impression of Veracruz, however, will not be of its historical significance but of its present-day vitality. Its dynamic zócalo, pleasant waterfront location and relative absence of tourists make the city one of the most enjoyable places in the Republic in which simply to sit back and observe or join the daily round. This is especially true in the evenings, when the tables under the portales of the plaza fill up and the drinking and the marimba music begin, to go on most of the night. Marimba is a distinctively Latin-Caribbean sound based around a giant wooden xylophone which is the local sound, but at peak times there are also mariachi and norteño bands and individual crooners all striving to be heard over each other. Veracruz’s riotous nine-day Carnaval celebrations rival the best in the hemisphere, while the Festival Internacional Afrocaribeño, usually held in July or August, showcases dance and music performances from all over the Caribbean and Africa, film showings and art exhibitions.

Veracruz was involved in several historic wars, the problems started even before the Conquest was complete, when Pánfilo Narváez landed here on his ill-fated mission to bring Cortés back under the control of the governor of Cuba, and continued intermittently for the next four hundred years. Throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Veracruz and the Spanish galleons that used the port were preyed on constantly by the English, Dutch and French. In the War of Independence the Spanish made their final stand here, holding the fortress of San Juan Ulúa for four years after the country had been lost. In 1838 the French occupied the city, in what was later dubbed “The Pastry War”, demanding compensation for French property and citizens who had suffered in the years following Independence; in 1847 US troops took Veracruz, and from here marched on to capture the capital. In January 1862 the French, supported by Spanish and English forces that soon withdrew, invaded on the pretext of forcing Mexico to pay her foreign debt, but ended up staying five years and setting up the unfortunate Maximilian as emperor. Finally, in 1914, US marines were back, occupying the city to protect American interests during the Revolution. These are the “Cuatro Veces Heroica” of the city’s official title, and form the bulk of the history displayed in the museums here.

The downtown harbor plazas are teeming with life. The city rarely sleeps, with most of the locals listening to music in the squares late into the night, only to wake up in the early morning to sip coffee at sidewalk cafes. Music and dancing bring light to the city once the sun goes down, and the bustle of everyday activity springs back to life in the morning. Coffeehouses are a social center, the most famous being the Gran Cafe del Portal and the Cafe de la Parroquia. The attractive zócalo is the heart of life in Veracruz in every sense the place where everyone gathers, for morning coffee, lunch, afternoon strolls and at night. After dark, especially, it has an extraordinary energy, with tables set out under the portales, non-stop music and strolling crowds. The imposing Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Asunción, consecrated in 1721, dominates the square. Its most striking feature is its tiled dome, though the whole place is in a sad state of disrepair, with decay seeming to advance more quickly than the permanent, slow renovation. On the plaza too is the elegant Palacio Municipal, one of the oldest in Mexico, originally built between 1609 and 1627, though it assumed its current form in the eighteenth century. The Fototeca de Veracruz (Tues–Sun 10am–7pm), alongside, hosts beautifully presented photography exhibitions.

About five blocks south of the zócalo on Zaragoza, the Museo de la Ciudad (Tues–Sat 10am–6pm, Sun 10am–3pm) occupies a former nineteenthcentury orphanage. The exhibits cover local history and folklore from the city’s earliest inhabitants to the 1950s. Inevitably, given the scope of material covered, there’s some beautiful Olmec and Totonac sculpture, including one giant Olmec head; thought-provoking information on Mexico’s African population, much of which was concentrated in this area after the slave trade; and enlightening sections on the social movements of the early twentieth century and the celebrated music and dance culture of the city. Nearby are several cultural centres. The headquarters of the Instituto Veracruzano de Cultura occupy an old convent on Francisco Canal (Tues–Sun 9am–8pm). As well as regularly changing art exhibitions in its galleries, other rooms off the courtyard house classes and events, and you can also pick up information about cultural happenings across the city. Just a block away, Las Atarazanas were colonial warehouses that once backed onto the harbour; inside are more temporary exhibition spaces, while the main facade is at the back. More prestigious art shows are generally held at the Casa Principal (daily 10am–8pm), a fine, converted eighteenth-century residence at Mario Molina 315.

It’s just a couple of blocks from the zócalo, past a stupendously Mercado de Artesanías, down to the harbourfront promenade, the malecón. This is a worthwhile stroll at any time of day or night evenings are particularly animated as street vendors and entertainers compete for your attention, illuminated by the twinkling lights of the ships in the port and the spotlit ‘dancing’ fountains outside the PEMEX building. Tranvía city tours start from here, and lanchas depart for harbour jaunts or across to the fortress. The latter, the Castillo de San Juan de Ulúa (Tues–Sun 10am–4.30pm), is a tremendous fortification, clearly visible across the harbour it so singularly failed to protect. Today the fortress, originally an island, now connected to the mainland by a causeway, is mostly an empty ruin of endless battlements and stairways. Apart from a small museum, the main attraction is the prison many political prisoners died during the rule of Díaz in three dark, unpleasant cells known as El Purgatorio, La Gloria and El Infierno (Purgatory, Heaven and Hell). At weekends and in high season, lanchas regularly cross the harbour to the castle; otherwise the easiest way to get here is to take a taxi. Towards the end of the malecón, the old Faro (lighthouse) stands alongside the PEMEX tower, a fine example of early modern Mexican architecture, built in 1952. Outside are various memorials to the city’s heroes, including a giant statue of Venustiano Carranza in front of the faro, Carranza is further immortalized in the nearby Museo Histórico Naval (Tues–Sun 10am–5pm), where one room looks in detail at the events of 1914, when US troops occupied Veracruz and Carranza subsequently established his Constitutionalist government here. There’s plenty more on the various heroic defenders of the city, but also fascinating exhibits on earlier history and seafaring in general. Not far from the museum, the blackened and threatening walls of the Baluarte de Santiago (Tues–Sun 10am–4.30pm) make a bizarre sight, stranded as they are three blocks from the sea, with the cannon threatening only the passing traffic. The sole survivor of what were originally nine forts along a 2650-metre-long wall, the Baluarte was built in 1635 to help fend off constant attacks by pirates and buccaneers; at the time, it stood at the water’s edge. The small museum inside has a few pieces of exquisite pre-Columbian gold jewellery discovered in 1976 by a local octopus fisherman. By the time the authorities got wind of his find, most of it had been melted down and sold, but what little remains is lovely.

Every year since 1866, the Veracruz Carnaval is celebrated. Veracruz's Carnaval is the largest in Mexico. It is based in the historic center of the city, and focuses on the Carnaval Parade of Veracruz. The event begins with the Burning of Bad Humor and ends with the Burial of Juan Carnaval. A signature dish of the area Huachinango a la Veracruzana (red snapper Veracruz style) uses local fruits and vegetables (tomatoes, chili peppers) and Spanish ingredients (olive oil, garlic and capers). Another of the port city's biggest attractions is San Juan de Ulua. Originally a Spanish fort, it was later turned into a notorious prison where president/dictator Porfirio Diaz sent his adversaries. Veracruz's beaches aren't a big attraction. The best ones are south of town toward Boca del Rio: Playa de Hornos, Playa Pelicanos, Playa Gaviota and Playa Mocambo. You can walk along the seafront malecon from downtown all the way to these beaches and to the city's nice Aquarium, supposed to be the second-best in Latin America. On the mainland, there are a number of beaches. Playa Marti is located between the city of Veracruz and Boca del Rio, five km from the historic center. This beach is equipped with goals and nets for soccer and volleyball. The Playa de Hornos is located next to the Veracruz Aquarium. It is safe to swim here and there are tables, chairs and umbrellas to rent, as well as food stands. During the high seasons there are lifeguards and banana boats to rent. There are also boats that take tourist to the Isla de Sacrificio and Canuncito. Villa del Mar is just south of Playa de Hornos and is more popular.