Xalapa

Xalapa lies on the humid eastern slopes of the Mexican highlands, between the plateau and the port of Veracruz. Springs descend from the hills, and the town grew from Indigenous neighbourhoods inhabited by Nahua and Totonac communities. Its position on the road between Mexico City and the Gulf made it an important place for travellers and commerce.

After the Spanish conquest Xalapa remained an Indigenous town and became a regional administrative and religious centre. Mule trains, inns and warehouses served traffic between Veracruz and the interior. In the eighteenth century a great fair brought merchants together when fleets arrived from Spain. The trade transformed the town, encouraging the construction of houses and storehouses as goods changed hands before travelling onward to the highlands.