Acayucan

Acayucan lies on the lowland corridor of southeastern Veracruz, between the Gulf coast and the mountains toward the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Its surrounding country belonged to the Mixe-Zoque-Popoluca world, whose chiefdoms grew cacao, maize and cotton and traded through nearby river routes.

Gonzalo de Sandoval and Hernán Cortés passed through Acayucan during the conquest, and in the sixteenth century its people were assigned to Luis Marín's encomienda along with Jáltipan and Texistepec. Tribute in cloth, food and labor tied the town to Villa del Espíritu Santo at Coatzacoalcos. Missions reorganized religious life, while epidemics reduced the Indigenous population.

After pirates weakened the coastal villa, Acayucan became the seat of an alcaldía mayor in 1580. The appointment made it the administrative center of a tropical district. Cattle, sugar, cotton and river traffic supported the town through the eighteenth century, and a local uprising in 1787 exposed continuing conflicts over tribute and land.