This locality, situated in the Veracruz municipality of the same name, covers an area of over ten hectares and contains seven historic buildings constructed between the 16th and 19th centuries.
During the pre-Hispanic era, this area was home to an indigenous settlement called Huitzilapan — a shortened form of Huitztizilapan — which in Nahuatl means "river of hummingbirds."
In 1519, with the arrival of the conquistador Hernán Cortés, the first port and town council of the newly formed New Spain were established here. According to historical records, by the late 16th century, the city already had Franciscan and Dominican convents, the Jesuit house, three hospitals, a main church, and the aforementioned Santiago chapel.