The greatest legacy of Totonac art. This site flourished between 600 and 900, and offers a unique insight into the development of the area's people through the astonishing murals of ritual scenes, temples, people, animals and symbols painted on the walls of its structures.

A very ancient and populous Olmec city. Strategically located along land and river transport routes. Enormous stone boulders were brought from the Sierra de los Tuxtlas, a volcanic mountain range, to make sculptures of colossal heads and thrones. The site began to be abandoned 29 centuries ago.

A Totonac settlement (900-1521 AD), with a marvelous view of the coastal plain. It came under the control of the Toltecs first and later the Mexica. In turn a city, a cemetery (78 tombs were found) and a fortress. This was where Hernán Cortés formed an alliance in order to conquer the Tenochca empire.

In the former town hall of Santiago Tuxtla, the place Hernán Cortés chose to establish his marquisate, where he set up the continent’s first wine press. The museum has rich archeological displays of Olmec, Totonac and Mexica cultures, as well as revealing pieces from the viceregal period.1975

The Olmec region has the longest record of continual occupation. The museum houses: the oldest stela in Mesoamerica, an extraordinary stone with the “long count” for the whole calendar, the first colossal head to be discovered and other artefactual evidence of these remarkable sculptors and workers in precious metals of the earliest civilization.

The history of the Valley of Córdoba from the fifth century BC to the viceregal period. Highlights include an important statue of Tonatiuh and an interesting musical instrument collection. It also tells the story of the slave trade and the rebellion led by Gaspar Yanga, the undefeated leader who succeeded in founding the continent’s first settlement free from slavery in 1570.

Women played a dominant role in the ceremonies of this important Totonac city, as can be seen from its numerous murals. The mural fragments are the museum’s most valued objects, as they show varied scenes from the life of this ancient settlement.

The peak of the Totonaca culture, with the most beautiful architecture of the Gulf Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The museum, built by architect Teodoro Gonzaléz de León, shows vestiges of the city since the excavations of 1920, it also reconstructs the everyday life of this sophisticated culture.

Restored in 2012, this site museum has exhibits of Olmec, Totonac and Huastec artefacts made from obsidian, stone and ceramic, as well as a collection of sixteenth-century European weapons, while also providing a military history of the mighty fort of San Juan de Ulúa.

Located in the mountains of Veracruz, Coatepec was an important point on the old road to Mexico City. Its architecture reflects the fusion of pre-Hispanic and colonial traditions. Notable religious buildings were built in the 17th century. Its climate is conducive to planting different species of fruit trees, and the area is renowned for the production of coffee.