Coatzacoalco

Coatzacoalco stands at the mouth of the river of the same name, where the lowlands of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec meet the Gulf of Mexico. The broad river gave access to the interior, attracting the attention of the Spanish conquerors soon after their arrival on the coast.

In 1522 Hernán Cortés sent Gonzalo de Sandoval to found the Villa del Espíritu Santo near Guazacualco, on the river’s right bank upstream from its mouth. The settlement gave its name to a colonial province encompassing communities in the surrounding region, including Acayucan, Texistepec and Sayula. In 1745 the Spanish court considered opening the river as a port for trade with the peninsula, but established commercial interests and the restrictions favoring Veracruz and Acapulco frustrated the proposal.

The later city of Coatzacoalcos lies here.