Photos

Jarocho is how the people from the Mexican state of Veracruz are known. But it is also a music style, unique to Veracruz. Tlacotalpan, where this shot was taken, is located by the Papaloapan River some 25 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. For many years, Tlacotalpan was one of the most important trading ports for sugar. Then, at the outset of the 20th Century, the main rail line was built many miles away and this wonderful tropical town was forgotten. As a result, Tlacotalpan, now a World Heritage Site, was kept in a time capsule, with its streets lined with impossibly colored porticos seating by the majestic Papaloapan.