Coatzacoalcos travel guides

Coatzacoalcos is a major port city in the southern part of the Mexican state of Veracruz, on the Coatzacoalcos River. Coatzacoalcos comes from an indigenous word meaning 'Site of the Snake' or 'Where the snake hides'. The city serves as the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name.

The city is located at 18°09′N 94°26′W. It is connected by road and rail to the Pacific Ocean about 160 km away. This location has prompted plans for an interoceanic waterway or a much expanded railroad system for over a century.

The municipality covers a surface area of 471.16 km² and, in the year 2000 census, reported a population of 267,212.

Although it is not known when the site was first inhabited it was already considered a provincial capital by the Olmecs. In 1522, Hernan Cortes orders Gonzalo de Sandoval to fund a settlement near Guazacualco. Sandoval named it Villa del Espíritu Santo. It was elevated to the category of Port in 1825 and the name changed to Coatzacoalco.

In 1900 the name was changed to Puerto Mexico to make it easier for foreigners. In 1911 it was elevated to City, and in 1936 the name was changed to the current Coatzacoalcos.

Coatzacoalcos became a very important crossroads during the oil boom of the Seventies, connecting the Yucatan Peninsula and oil fields in Campeche to the rest of Mexico and to the Port of Salina Cruz in the Pacific.

The industry is dominated by the petrochemical sector. Four big industrial petrochemical complexes are located near the city (Pajaritos, Cosoleacaque, Morelos and Cangrejera) making it one of the most important concentrations of its kind in the world. The state-owned Pemex Petroquímica is headquartered in Coatzacoalcos and 85% of its production is concentrated here.

Coatzacoalcos is the birthplace of actress Salma Hayek and Carlos Antonio Warren.