Tecolutla, Veracruz
Encyclopedia
Tecolutla is a town and municipality on the eastern coast of the state of Veracruz
in Mexico
. It is the closest beach to Mexico City
and much of its economy is based on attracting people from this city, as it is only a four or five-hour drive. It is also the northern end of a tourist corridor called the “Emerald Coast” that extends down to the city of Veracruz
. Tecolutla’s biggest attraction is its geography with its estuaries, canals and mangroves. The town is also known for the “Tecolutla Monster,”—probably a dead whale
—that was washed ashore in 1969. Its remains are kept at the Marine Museum. The name Tecolutla means “place of the tecolotes or owls.”
. (The municipality has a total of 40 km.) These beaches generally have gentle waves and warm water, except during storms called “nortes.” This are basically strong cold fronts that come down Mexico’s Atlantic coast between December and February and can cause sudden drops in temperature and winds. This fickle weather keeps Tecolutla and many other Gulf coast communities from becoming major resort areas, like Cancun
much further south.
The oldest hotel is the Hotel Tecolutla, built in 1949, and it has not changed much since then. It used to be the only sizable building in town, but the last decade or so has seen a rise in the number of hotels, mostly catering to budget travelers from Mexico City, with some from Xalapa
, the state capital. This tourism is mainly concentrated during peak seasons such as Christmas and Easter holidays and events like the annual fishing tournament. During the rest of the year, it is fairly empty.
The beaches of town of Tecolutla divide into North and South Beaches, each with their own hotel zones, restaurants, and camping areas. Both offer boat rides and bicycle paths. At the South Beach, where the breakwaters and the mouth of the river is, there are also beachside cabins and docks for boat rides up the river, as well as for fishing expeditions. A type of boat often used to navigate around the estuaries is called a panguita, which look like very long canoe.
Cultural attractions here include the Hueytepec archeological zone, the Parish of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, the old lighthouse, the Hotel Tecolutla, the Municipal Palace and the Marine Museum, which contains an exposition of river and ocean products. This museum, located on Matamoros Street is a space containing more than 300 aquatic species both alive and preserved.
The town also hosts a number of events. From April to September each year, the beach known as Vida Milenaria is reserved for sea turtles returning here to breed. This project is led by Fernando Manzano, better known here as "Papá Tortuga" (Daddy Turtle). This group hatches and frees between five and six thousand baby marine turtles each year. The returning turtles lay about this number of eggs which volunteers collect and protect. Tourist are invited to help free the baby turtles.
The annual fishing competition in May draws many visitors locally, from Mexico and even beyond. There are events for shad
, sea bass
{dn}} and tarpon
and take place both on the sea and on the Tecolutla River. This is one of the few times of the year the resort is packed.
Another annual event is the Coconut Festival in February, when local restaurants and hotels get together to make “the world’s largest coconut custard
in the world.” In 2008, the dessert measured 2.15 by two meters, taking about 6,000 coconuts and two tons of sugar. After it is presented and measured, locals and tourists are invited to have some free.
One notable nearby attraction is the El Tajín
archeological site, built by the same people who have inhabited this municipality, the Totonac
s. Tecolutla is the closest beach to this site, which is about 40 km away. This was the most important ceremonial center in the area and it still host celebrations each year at the spring equinox.
, canals and mangroves. These estuaries are at the mouth of the Tecolutla River which flows through the states of Puebla
and Veracruz, with an extension of 7,950.05 km. It is surrounded by the Sierra de Huachinango to the east and the Sierra de Zocapoaxtla to the south. The river is fed by summer rains in the lower elevation and by year-round rains in the higher elevations. The river passes by a number of cities and towns such as Cuetzalan
, Zacapoaxtla
, Zapotitlán, Huauchinango
, Tajín, Tecuantepec, El Espinal, Papantla
, Gutiérrez Zamora, Cazones
, Coatzintla
, Chumatlan
, Poza Rica
, then finally to Tecolutla at its mouth.
These estuaries have abundant vegetation and aquatic, and semi-aquatic wildlife such as crabs, lobsters, red snapper
, shad, white and black herons and in the mangroves, two species of alligator
. There are three estuaries that are visited most. The first is called Del Silencio, which has about five km of navigable waters and filled with mangroves. The name comes from the relative lack of sound, except for the buzzing of insects, and water dripping from trees. The second is called De la Cruz, with very clear waters, 25 km of navigable waters in which sea bass can be fished in season. The third is called Del Narajo and is the largest with 40 km of navigable waters and is bordered by ranches and orange groves. There is also an abundance of wild birds such as ibis
, cormorant
s, parrots, guinea fowl, eagles, falcons, stork
s and others.
The municipality has 40 km of beaches. For ten km north along the coast from Tecolutla are the most important beaches: Santa María del Mar and Barra Boca de Lima, which have warm waters with some motion. At Barra Boca de Lima is the Largartos Estuary. A bit further away (32 km) is Barra Tenixtepec, which is suitable for aquatic sports. Tecolutla is the beginning of a small tourist corridor which includes beaches such as La Guadalupe, La Vigueta, Playa Oriente, Monte Gordo, Casitas and Maracaibo. This area is known as the Costa Esmeralda because of the green ocean near the beaches, and many contain three and four star hotels, bungalows and trailer parks.
In 1787, a major conflict over agricultural resources broke out when the native peoples and two Spaniards, Juan de Vidal and Joaquin Suarez over ownership of lands in Tecolutla and surrounding areas bordering the Tecolutla River. Much of this land had been inhabited by native peoples with no formal title.
In 1810, the Mexican War of Independence
began, with Serafin Olarte
leading local efforts. In 1813, the ports of Tecolutla and Nautla
are taken by insurgents and used to bring in arms. In 1814, the insurgents were driven out by the royalist army under Juan Navajero. In 1824, the state of Veracruz was created and Tecolutla became a community under the jurisdiction of the Papantla province. In 1825, the commercial port was constructed, which was blocked by the French during the Pastry War
in 1838.
In 1847, the U.S. frigate, Gemanten, anchored itself in Tecolutla as part of the initial phases of the invasion of Mexico during the Mexican-American War. In 1857, sixty Italian families settled here as part of an agreement between the Mexican and Italian governments to promote immigration to Mexico. In 1866, Tecolutla was occupied by imperial forces under Maximilian
five days after they took Papantla. The municipality was created in 1879, combining the parishes of Tecolutla, De Cristo and Boca de Lima, and the community of Tecolutla was elevated to the status of town in 1882.
In 1942, two ships, the Tuxpan and the Choapas, were torpedoed while in the port of Tecolutla. Major flooding of the Tecolutla in October 1999 cause widespread damage in the town, including washing away a number of homes and businesses. Most of this damage has now been repaired and many reconstructed roads and bridges are better than before. Tecolutla suffered another natural disaster August 27. 2007 when the eye of Hurricane Dean came ashore here. The intensity of the winds and rain led Civil Protection to issue a red alert for the region. The storm knocked out power as rivers and streams overflowed, closing down much of the infrastructure such as banks, roads and gas stations. It also forced 15,000 people into shelters in the tourist areas of this part of Veracruz state.
Eventually, they informed the municipal president of Tecolutla, César Guerrero, who believed it was a crashed plane. A volunteer rescue party was organized but what they found was an enormous head, with the rest of the creature partially buried. It was decided to bring the carcass to the town of Tecolutla, using a truck with a fifteen-meter platform borrowed from Mexican state oil company (PEMEX). It was placed on beach in front of the lighthouse, and photographs were taken.
Descriptions of the dead creature vary. One witness described the animal found like giant worm. The head had lost a great deal of flesh and there were fibers hanging like a mane. Weight of the carcass is estimated at between 24 and 35 tons, measuring 22 meters long and two meters wide. It has been described as having either “wool” or armor plating, or both, with a gigantic beak
or bone like a fang sticking out of its head..
The municipal president asked for help from the biologists of the Fishing and Biology Station of Tampico
, but they failed to identify it, saying that the farmers had disfigured it beyond recognition. Then another biologist failed to identify it. The first possible identification was that of a narwhal
, as they have a large protrusion from the head, but after further investigation, that identification was not confirmed. A commission of seven scientists reported that the carcass was that of a fin whale
. A number of scientists both at the time and later, from photographs, concluded that it was some kind of whale, most likely that of a Sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis). Further investigations by the National University concluded that it was a whale as well.
However, the lack of an immediate and certain identification of the creature led to more interesting speculations as to what it might be. International press reports at the time said that it might be some kind of prehistoric creature. Bernandino Villa of the National Autonomous University of Mexico
speculated that it was a creature that had been preserved in Arctic
ice which had thawed out by the time it reached Mexico. It was also rumored that an organization called the Biology Institute of California wanted to buy the creature, also believing it to be prehistoric. A cryptozoologist identified the creature as the Sea Horse described by Bernard Heuvelmans
in 1965 and much earlier by Olaus Magnus
in 1555. Supposedly, this is some kind of sea monster known as a halshippus olaimagni.
The skull of the creature was kept and, for the most part, matches those of a rorqual
, most likely a Sei whale. Few whale species are found in the Gulf of Mexico because it is warm and shallow. But beachings of whales have been recorded on Mexico's Atlantic coast. A whale washed up as far south as Quintana Roo
(extreme southern Mexico). In Tecolutla itself, a sperm whale body washed up in 1976 and a pilot whale body in 1991.
Word of the discovery and mystery of the washed-up creature spread and many people came to see the carcass. Scientists recommended burial of the creature, which was decomposing rapidly, but the mayor of Tecolutla refused, and kept it as a tourist attraction in spite of the odor.
The bones of the animal, including the skull, are now kept at the Marine Museum which was reinaugurated in 1997 after being closed for a number of years. There are paintings of the monster in the museum as well. Despite this, few nowadays in Tecolutla know about the monster. Most witnesses from the time have moved away or have died. There are no local newspapers in Tecolutla and nearest publication, in Poza Rica, did not keep papers from the time period. The city government does not have records, and only a few photographs survive.
. Most of the municipality’s borders are defined by the Tecolutla River and the Gulf of Mexico. The municipality contains 375 communities(inegi) and has a surface area of 471.31km2 and an average altitude of ten meters above sea level. It borders the municipalities of Papantla, Martínez de la Torre, and Gutiérrez Zamora with the Gulf of Mexico to the east. The climate is hot with average rainfall for Mexico with an average temperature of 23.6C. The area is suited to fast-growing trees with soft wood such as guarumbo, chancarro, jonote, guanacaxtle and sangrado.
Much of the municipality is rural, with agriculture and livestock as the economic basis. Important crops grown here include corn, green chiles, beans, “platano roatan” (a species of banana), vanilla, sugar cane, tobacco, pineapple, oranges, limes, grapefruit, mandarin oranges and coconuts. Livestock raising includes dairy and beef cattle, pigs, sheep, fowl and bees. Second is fishing with only a fraction of the municipality’s land developed. Fishing here is developed by way of cooperations, harvesting common bass (mojarra), crabs, shrimp, oyster, shad and sea bass.
One native crop is the growing of vanilla beans. They have been grown here since far into pre-Hispanic times and they were sent to the Aztecs as tribute. Harvest time is November and December and one can see the beans drying in the sun.
The developed areas, basically the town of Tecolutla, also rely on tourism, mostly in the way of hotels and other lodges as well as restaurants.
The population of the municipality is 24, 258 with only 4,523 living in the town proper. There is still a definite Totonaca presence here. About 6% of thepopulation speaks Totonaca. These people can be spotted by their distinctive dress. The men wear white, wide-leg trousers, gathered to a tight cuff above the ankle and a loose white shirt, gathered from a yoke, which sometimes has a small cape at the back. The women wear embroidered blouses and lacy skirts, both in white. Over the skirt, they wear a brightly colored half-apron. They also wear a brightly colored scarf similar to a quechquémitl. This is tied at the back of the neck, draped over the chest and then tucked into the apron.
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It is the closest beach to Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
and much of its economy is based on attracting people from this city, as it is only a four or five-hour drive. It is also the northern end of a tourist corridor called the “Emerald Coast” that extends down to the city of Veracruz
Veracruz, Veracruz
Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...
. Tecolutla’s biggest attraction is its geography with its estuaries, canals and mangroves. The town is also known for the “Tecolutla Monster,”—probably a dead whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
—that was washed ashore in 1969. Its remains are kept at the Marine Museum. The name Tecolutla means “place of the tecolotes or owls.”
Tourism
The most important and growing economic activity here is tourism. The primary reason for this is that Tecolutla is the closest beach to Mexico City. The town has about 15 km of beaches which face directly onto the Gulf of MexicoGulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. (The municipality has a total of 40 km.) These beaches generally have gentle waves and warm water, except during storms called “nortes.” This are basically strong cold fronts that come down Mexico’s Atlantic coast between December and February and can cause sudden drops in temperature and winds. This fickle weather keeps Tecolutla and many other Gulf coast communities from becoming major resort areas, like Cancun
Cancún
Cancún is a city of international tourism development certified by the UNWTO . Located on the northeast coast of Quintana Roo in southern Mexico, more than 1,700 km from Mexico City, the Project began operations in 1974 as Integrally Planned Center, a pioneer of FONATUR Cancún is a city of...
much further south.
The oldest hotel is the Hotel Tecolutla, built in 1949, and it has not changed much since then. It used to be the only sizable building in town, but the last decade or so has seen a rise in the number of hotels, mostly catering to budget travelers from Mexico City, with some from Xalapa
Xalapa
Xalapa-Enríquez, commonly Xalapa or Jalapa, is the capital city of the Mexican state of Veracruz and the name of the surrounding municipality. In the year 2005 census the city reported a population of 387,879 and the municipality of which it serves as municipal seat reported a population of...
, the state capital. This tourism is mainly concentrated during peak seasons such as Christmas and Easter holidays and events like the annual fishing tournament. During the rest of the year, it is fairly empty.
The beaches of town of Tecolutla divide into North and South Beaches, each with their own hotel zones, restaurants, and camping areas. Both offer boat rides and bicycle paths. At the South Beach, where the breakwaters and the mouth of the river is, there are also beachside cabins and docks for boat rides up the river, as well as for fishing expeditions. A type of boat often used to navigate around the estuaries is called a panguita, which look like very long canoe.
Cultural attractions here include the Hueytepec archeological zone, the Parish of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, the old lighthouse, the Hotel Tecolutla, the Municipal Palace and the Marine Museum, which contains an exposition of river and ocean products. This museum, located on Matamoros Street is a space containing more than 300 aquatic species both alive and preserved.
The town also hosts a number of events. From April to September each year, the beach known as Vida Milenaria is reserved for sea turtles returning here to breed. This project is led by Fernando Manzano, better known here as "Papá Tortuga" (Daddy Turtle). This group hatches and frees between five and six thousand baby marine turtles each year. The returning turtles lay about this number of eggs which volunteers collect and protect. Tourist are invited to help free the baby turtles.
The annual fishing competition in May draws many visitors locally, from Mexico and even beyond. There are events for shad
Shad
The shads or river herrings comprise the genus Alosa, fish related to herring in the family Clupeidae. They are distinct from others in that family by having a deeper body and spawning in rivers. The several species frequent different areas on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea....
, sea bass
Sea bass
-Family Serranidae:* Barred sand bass , lives mainly off the coast of California* Black sea bass , whose range is the eastern coast of the United States...
{dn}} and tarpon
Tarpon
Tarpons are large fish of the genus Megalops. There are two species of Megalops, one native to the Atlantic, and the other to the Indo-Pacific oceans.They are the only members of the family Megalopidae.- Species and habitats :...
and take place both on the sea and on the Tecolutla River. This is one of the few times of the year the resort is packed.
Another annual event is the Coconut Festival in February, when local restaurants and hotels get together to make “the world’s largest coconut custard
Coconut custard
Coconut custard is a dessert dish consisting of a coconut custard steam-baked in a pumpkin or kabocha.-In Cambodia:...
in the world.” In 2008, the dessert measured 2.15 by two meters, taking about 6,000 coconuts and two tons of sugar. After it is presented and measured, locals and tourists are invited to have some free.
One notable nearby attraction is the El Tajín
El Tajín
El Tajín is a pre-Columbian archeological site and was the site of one of the largest and most important cities of the Classic era of Mesoamerica. The city flourished from 600 to 1200 C.E. and during this time numerous temples, palaces, Mesoamerican ballcourts and pyramids were built...
archeological site, built by the same people who have inhabited this municipality, the Totonac
Totonac
The Totonac people resided in the eastern coastal and mountainous regions of Mexico at the time of the Spanish arrival in 1519. Today they reside in the states of Veracruz, Puebla, and Hidalgo. They are one of the possible builders of the Pre-Columbian city of El Tajín, and further maintained...
s. Tecolutla is the closest beach to this site, which is about 40 km away. This was the most important ceremonial center in the area and it still host celebrations each year at the spring equinox.
Geography and climate
However, Tecolutla’s biggest attraction is its geography and climate. Situated on the Veracruz coast, Tecolutla has estuariesEstuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
, canals and mangroves. These estuaries are at the mouth of the Tecolutla River which flows through the states of Puebla
Puebla
Puebla officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 217 municipalities and its capital city is Puebla....
and Veracruz, with an extension of 7,950.05 km. It is surrounded by the Sierra de Huachinango to the east and the Sierra de Zocapoaxtla to the south. The river is fed by summer rains in the lower elevation and by year-round rains in the higher elevations. The river passes by a number of cities and towns such as Cuetzalan
Cuetzalán
Cuetzalan is a small town set high in the hills in the north of the Mexican state of Puebla, 183 kilometers from Puebla, the state capital. It is located in the Sierra Norte region. The town itself is characterized by sloping cobbled streets and numerous rustic buildings...
, Zacapoaxtla
Zacapoaxtla
Zacapoaxtla is a city and seat of the municipality of Zacapoaxtla, in the Mexican state of Puebla. The city has a population of 8,062 inhabitants, while the municipality has 49,242 inhabitants at the 2000 census. The name means place where straw is counted, and it originates from Nahuatl roots:...
, Zapotitlán, Huauchinango
Huauchinango
thumb|200px|Center of Huauchinango.Huauchinango is a city and its surrounding municipality located in the northwestern part of the Mexican state of Puebla. The city is the eighth largest in the state, with a 2005 census population of 51,898 inhabitants. The municipality, which has an area of 160.75...
, Tajín, Tecuantepec, El Espinal, Papantla
Papantla
Papantla is a city and municipality located in the north of the state of Veracruz, Mexico, in the Sierra Papanteca range and on the Gulf of Mexico. The city was founded in the 13th century by the Totonacs and has dominated the Totonacapan region of the state since then...
, Gutiérrez Zamora, Cazones
Cazones de Herrera
Cazones de Herrera is a municipality in Veracruz, Mexico. It is located in the north of the State of Veracruz, about 321 km from state capital. It has a surface of 106.11 km2...
, Coatzintla
Coatzintla
Coatzintla is a municipality in Veracruz, Mexico. It is located in the north zone of the State of Veracruz, about from the state capital Xalapa. It covers an area of...
, Chumatlan
Chumatlan
Chumatlan in Veracruz, Mexico. It is located in the middle of the State of Veracruz, about 105 km from state capital Xalapa. It has a surface of 36.19 km2...
, Poza Rica
Poza Rica
Poza Rica is a city and its surrounding municipalityin the Mexican state of Veracruz. Its name means "rich pool", because it was a place known for its abundance of fish. In this century oil was discovered in the area. It has since been almost completely extracted...
, then finally to Tecolutla at its mouth.
These estuaries have abundant vegetation and aquatic, and semi-aquatic wildlife such as crabs, lobsters, red snapper
Red Snapper
Red Snapper may refer to:Fish:* Several species from the genus Lutjanus, for example the red snapper .* Several species from the genus Sebastes, for example the vermilion rockfish and yelloweye rockfish Red Snapper may refer to:Fish:* Several species from the genus Lutjanus, for example the red...
, shad, white and black herons and in the mangroves, two species of alligator
Alligator
An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. There are two extant alligator species: the American alligator and the Chinese alligator ....
. There are three estuaries that are visited most. The first is called Del Silencio, which has about five km of navigable waters and filled with mangroves. The name comes from the relative lack of sound, except for the buzzing of insects, and water dripping from trees. The second is called De la Cruz, with very clear waters, 25 km of navigable waters in which sea bass can be fished in season. The third is called Del Narajo and is the largest with 40 km of navigable waters and is bordered by ranches and orange groves. There is also an abundance of wild birds such as ibis
Ibis
The ibises are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae....
, cormorant
Cormorant
The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
s, parrots, guinea fowl, eagles, falcons, stork
Stork
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae. They are the only family in the biological order Ciconiiformes, which was once much larger and held a number of families....
s and others.
The municipality has 40 km of beaches. For ten km north along the coast from Tecolutla are the most important beaches: Santa María del Mar and Barra Boca de Lima, which have warm waters with some motion. At Barra Boca de Lima is the Largartos Estuary. A bit further away (32 km) is Barra Tenixtepec, which is suitable for aquatic sports. Tecolutla is the beginning of a small tourist corridor which includes beaches such as La Guadalupe, La Vigueta, Playa Oriente, Monte Gordo, Casitas and Maracaibo. This area is known as the Costa Esmeralda because of the green ocean near the beaches, and many contain three and four star hotels, bungalows and trailer parks.
History
Tecolutla started as a pre-Hispanic settlement that had been dominated by a number of other peoples. The Tecolutla River was discovered by Juan de Guijalva in 1518, three years before the Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire. The Colonial period for this area began in 1522, with the first Spanish settling here. This caused violent confrontations between the Spanish and the local people at first but eventually led a mixing and the native and the European, in culture, flora, fauna and economic activities. The old pagan ritual centers here were abandoned and have become archeological zones.In 1787, a major conflict over agricultural resources broke out when the native peoples and two Spaniards, Juan de Vidal and Joaquin Suarez over ownership of lands in Tecolutla and surrounding areas bordering the Tecolutla River. Much of this land had been inhabited by native peoples with no formal title.
In 1810, the Mexican War of Independence
Mexican War of Independence
The Mexican War of Independence was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and the Spanish colonial authorities which started on 16 September 1810. The movement, which became known as the Mexican War of Independence, was led by Mexican-born Spaniards, Mestizos and Amerindians who sought...
began, with Serafin Olarte
Serafin Olarte
Serafin Olarte was a Totonac chief and general who led a revolt against Spanish rule during the Mexican War of Independence in Veracruz....
leading local efforts. In 1813, the ports of Tecolutla and Nautla
Nautla
Nautla is a settlement in the Mexican state of Veracruz.Nautla comes from the Nahuatl Naui, four; and from tlan, that means place; so it is known as Four Places....
are taken by insurgents and used to bring in arms. In 1814, the insurgents were driven out by the royalist army under Juan Navajero. In 1824, the state of Veracruz was created and Tecolutla became a community under the jurisdiction of the Papantla province. In 1825, the commercial port was constructed, which was blocked by the French during the Pastry War
Pastry War
The Pastry War was an invasion of Mexico by French forces in 1838.-Background:The war arose from the widespread civil disorder that plagued the early years of the Mexican republic. In 1828, President Manuel Gómez Pedraza ejected Lorenzo de Zavala from the office of governor of the state of México...
in 1838.
In 1847, the U.S. frigate, Gemanten, anchored itself in Tecolutla as part of the initial phases of the invasion of Mexico during the Mexican-American War. In 1857, sixty Italian families settled here as part of an agreement between the Mexican and Italian governments to promote immigration to Mexico. In 1866, Tecolutla was occupied by imperial forces under Maximilian
Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I was the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire.After a distinguished career in the Austrian Navy, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on April 10, 1864, with the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchists who sought to revive the Mexican monarchy...
five days after they took Papantla. The municipality was created in 1879, combining the parishes of Tecolutla, De Cristo and Boca de Lima, and the community of Tecolutla was elevated to the status of town in 1882.
In 1942, two ships, the Tuxpan and the Choapas, were torpedoed while in the port of Tecolutla. Major flooding of the Tecolutla in October 1999 cause widespread damage in the town, including washing away a number of homes and businesses. Most of this damage has now been repaired and many reconstructed roads and bridges are better than before. Tecolutla suffered another natural disaster August 27. 2007 when the eye of Hurricane Dean came ashore here. The intensity of the winds and rain led Civil Protection to issue a red alert for the region. The storm knocked out power as rivers and streams overflowed, closing down much of the infrastructure such as banks, roads and gas stations. It also forced 15,000 people into shelters in the tourist areas of this part of Veracruz state.
The Tecolutla “Monster”
In 1969, something washed up on the Palmar de Susana beach between Tecolutla and Nautla. It was found by locals who kept its existence secret at first. It took 14 hours to get to the animal in the water and to raise it onto shore. It was thought that money could be made with the “ivory” of its bones and, they began to cut it apart on the beach. This made later identification of the animal more difficult.Eventually, they informed the municipal president of Tecolutla, César Guerrero, who believed it was a crashed plane. A volunteer rescue party was organized but what they found was an enormous head, with the rest of the creature partially buried. It was decided to bring the carcass to the town of Tecolutla, using a truck with a fifteen-meter platform borrowed from Mexican state oil company (PEMEX). It was placed on beach in front of the lighthouse, and photographs were taken.
Descriptions of the dead creature vary. One witness described the animal found like giant worm. The head had lost a great deal of flesh and there were fibers hanging like a mane. Weight of the carcass is estimated at between 24 and 35 tons, measuring 22 meters long and two meters wide. It has been described as having either “wool” or armor plating, or both, with a gigantic beak
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
or bone like a fang sticking out of its head..
The municipal president asked for help from the biologists of the Fishing and Biology Station of Tampico
Tampico
Tampico is a city and port in the state of Tamaulipas, in the country of Mexico. It is located in the southeastern part of the state, directly north across the border from Veracruz. Tampico is the third largest city in Tamaulipas, and counts with a population of 309,003. The Metropolitan area of...
, but they failed to identify it, saying that the farmers had disfigured it beyond recognition. Then another biologist failed to identify it. The first possible identification was that of a narwhal
Narwhal
The narwhal, Monodon monoceros, is a medium-sized toothed whale that lives year-round in the Arctic. One of two living species of whale in the Monodontidae family, along with the beluga whale, the narwhal males are distinguished by a characteristic long, straight, helical tusk extending from their...
, as they have a large protrusion from the head, but after further investigation, that identification was not confirmed. A commission of seven scientists reported that the carcass was that of a fin whale
Fin Whale
The fin whale , also called the finback whale, razorback, or common rorqual, is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales. It is the second longest whale and the sixth largest living animal after the blue whale, bowhead whale, and right whales, growing to nearly 27 metres long...
. A number of scientists both at the time and later, from photographs, concluded that it was some kind of whale, most likely that of a Sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis). Further investigations by the National University concluded that it was a whale as well.
However, the lack of an immediate and certain identification of the creature led to more interesting speculations as to what it might be. International press reports at the time said that it might be some kind of prehistoric creature. Bernandino Villa of the National Autonomous University of Mexico
National Autonomous University of Mexico
The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México is a university in Mexico. UNAM was founded on 22 September 1910 by Justo Sierra as a liberal alternative to the Roman Catholic-sponsored Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) (National Autonomous...
speculated that it was a creature that had been preserved in Arctic
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
ice which had thawed out by the time it reached Mexico. It was also rumored that an organization called the Biology Institute of California wanted to buy the creature, also believing it to be prehistoric. A cryptozoologist identified the creature as the Sea Horse described by Bernard Heuvelmans
Bernard Heuvelmans
Bernard Heuvelmans was a Belgian-French scientist, explorer, researcher, and a writer probably best known as "the father of cryptozoology"...
in 1965 and much earlier by Olaus Magnus
Olaus Magnus
Olaus Magnus was a Swedish ecclesiastic and writer, who did pioneering work for the interest of Nordic people. He was reported as born in October 1490 in Östergötland, and died on August 1, 1557. Magnus, Latin for the Swedish Stor “great”, is a Latin family name taken personally, and not a...
in 1555. Supposedly, this is some kind of sea monster known as a halshippus olaimagni.
The skull of the creature was kept and, for the most part, matches those of a rorqual
Rorqual
Rorquals are the largest group of baleen whales, with nine species in two genera. They include the largest animal that has ever lived, the Blue Whale, which can reach , and another that easily reaches ; even the smallest of the group, the Northern Minke Whale, reaches .-Characteristics:Rorquals...
, most likely a Sei whale. Few whale species are found in the Gulf of Mexico because it is warm and shallow. But beachings of whales have been recorded on Mexico's Atlantic coast. A whale washed up as far south as Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 10 municipalities and its capital city is Chetumal....
(extreme southern Mexico). In Tecolutla itself, a sperm whale body washed up in 1976 and a pilot whale body in 1991.
Word of the discovery and mystery of the washed-up creature spread and many people came to see the carcass. Scientists recommended burial of the creature, which was decomposing rapidly, but the mayor of Tecolutla refused, and kept it as a tourist attraction in spite of the odor.
The bones of the animal, including the skull, are now kept at the Marine Museum which was reinaugurated in 1997 after being closed for a number of years. There are paintings of the monster in the museum as well. Despite this, few nowadays in Tecolutla know about the monster. Most witnesses from the time have moved away or have died. There are no local newspapers in Tecolutla and nearest publication, in Poza Rica, did not keep papers from the time period. The city government does not have records, and only a few photographs survive.
The municipality
The municipality of Tecolutla is located in the north of Veracruz state in a region known as TotonacapanTotonacapan
Totonacapan is the name given to a region located mainly in the northern part of the Mexican state of Veracruz. This region was originally comprised around the pre-Columbian city of El Tajín and later, during the Colonial era until our times, around the city of Papantla.Though it comprises a wide...
. Most of the municipality’s borders are defined by the Tecolutla River and the Gulf of Mexico. The municipality contains 375 communities(inegi) and has a surface area of 471.31km2 and an average altitude of ten meters above sea level. It borders the municipalities of Papantla, Martínez de la Torre, and Gutiérrez Zamora with the Gulf of Mexico to the east. The climate is hot with average rainfall for Mexico with an average temperature of 23.6C. The area is suited to fast-growing trees with soft wood such as guarumbo, chancarro, jonote, guanacaxtle and sangrado.
Much of the municipality is rural, with agriculture and livestock as the economic basis. Important crops grown here include corn, green chiles, beans, “platano roatan” (a species of banana), vanilla, sugar cane, tobacco, pineapple, oranges, limes, grapefruit, mandarin oranges and coconuts. Livestock raising includes dairy and beef cattle, pigs, sheep, fowl and bees. Second is fishing with only a fraction of the municipality’s land developed. Fishing here is developed by way of cooperations, harvesting common bass (mojarra), crabs, shrimp, oyster, shad and sea bass.
One native crop is the growing of vanilla beans. They have been grown here since far into pre-Hispanic times and they were sent to the Aztecs as tribute. Harvest time is November and December and one can see the beans drying in the sun.
The developed areas, basically the town of Tecolutla, also rely on tourism, mostly in the way of hotels and other lodges as well as restaurants.
The population of the municipality is 24, 258 with only 4,523 living in the town proper. There is still a definite Totonaca presence here. About 6% of thepopulation speaks Totonaca. These people can be spotted by their distinctive dress. The men wear white, wide-leg trousers, gathered to a tight cuff above the ankle and a loose white shirt, gathered from a yoke, which sometimes has a small cape at the back. The women wear embroidered blouses and lacy skirts, both in white. Over the skirt, they wear a brightly colored half-apron. They also wear a brightly colored scarf similar to a quechquémitl. This is tied at the back of the neck, draped over the chest and then tucked into the apron.