TABASCO MUNDO MAYA ENGLISH VERSION Governor’s offices. PHOTO: SECTUR TABASCO Villahermosa La Venta Cacao Bean Haciendas As the majority of the cities in Tabas- This site is one of the most exponen- Tabasco is an important cacao bean co after the Spanish conquest, Villa- tial of the Olmecan culture, one of producing area. The estates or “ha- hermosa was established at the the first complex societies of Meso- ciendas” are a singular point of attrac- O banks of the Grijalva River. This loca- america. Linked to architecture, it SC tion. When one visits them one can contains numberless of gigantic ABA tion allowed it to greatly benefit from T witness the conversion process of the UR the regional trade, mainly from cacao, sculptures, out of which some of T cacao bean into chocolate. Among a product highly appreciated in Eu- them are now at the Park-Museum the estates we can find the Hacienda rope. Villahermosa is now a modern of la Venta. La Luz, which is among the first ones PHOTO: SEC PHOTO: in industrializing the cacao bean and city with different appealing places Cacao’s grinding. as lagoons, rivers and jungles. Due to Laguna de Mecoacán where the Cacao Bean and Choco- the oil boom of the 70’s in the XX cen- late Museum is located; the ranch La tury, it was consolidated as a city and Its natural richness is constituted by Corredor Turístico Finca Cholula, and the Hacienda in spite of its modernity it is the cus- beach banks, numerous lagoons, “Paradise Republic” Jesús María. In all of them one can buy todian of an important cultural lega- abundant marshes, mangroves and the products they manufacture. rivers. This place is ideal for observ- It is an eco-touristic development cy. Its Historical Center or Centro ing the aquatic flora and fauna and with soft and warm sand beaches and Histórico contains great amount of Malpasito the sunsets are splendid for boat with unique sunsets, as the Paraíso lay and religious monuments, which touring. and Limón beaches. reflect the wealthy periods of the city It has many plinths and platforms and in previous centuries. Among the ballgame squares. It is believed the site places of interest are the Park Tomás was built by the Zoque people. Between Garrido Canabal and the Park-mu- the years 600 and 900 AD. took place seum of La Venta as well as muse- CITY OF VILLAHERMOSA the earliest occupation of the zone and ums that display the history of Tabas- it was at that time they craved the petro- glyphs. co like the Museo de Historia de O Tabasco (located at“Casa de los Azule- SC ABA jos” which means the house of tiles) Las Ilusiones T Puerto Ceiba Lagoon UR Del Negro T and the one of the popular culture D A Lagoon called Museo de la Cultura Popular. It is a fishermen village founded in the NIVERSID . U XIX century. It has a great natural beau- V A SEC PHOTO: Grijalva River Puerto Ceiba-El Bellote-Chiltepec Bridge. ty and offers very diverse cuisines. Park de la Choca Museum of History Natural To Palenque Comalcalco BOULEV Casa-Museo ARD GRI y Francisco jaLV Carlos Pellicer Park-Museo de La Venta A Escárcega A A S A It is one of the major developments LV IN ja Planetarium Tabasco 2000 RI M VIOT Carrizal River G Museum A of the Classic Mayan (250-900 AD). RD Park Tomás Garrido Canabal VIER G A A S J of Popular City Hall A LEV L P What we can see today in Comalcal- U A F. O SEO Culture B Del Camarón SEO TA B A Lagoon co is only one part of the Gran Plaza A P LECÓN SCO A M Señor de Tabasco Cathedral Museum of Tabasco’s History and the Gran Acrópolis, a site P To Cárdenas y Coatzacoalcos A SEO Governor’s Offices crowned by a structure called the pal- U S Main Square uma Church of la ace or El Palacio, which resembles in CINT EBRERO Concepción A F Espejo A size and distribution to the ones of DE LECÓN R A Lagoon A . 27 IERR M V S Palenque in the State of Chiapas. At ILIT A SEO A A M L P IO DE the center of the site are numerous G Museum of Antrophology Carlos Pellicer NDINO A OLE S SEO C A ceremonial structures, palaces and R P V A A ÉS C the rooms for the elite class. Library José María Pino Suárez AGAÑA M STO R Gran Acrópolis, Comalcalco. EVOL ugu 16 DE U ÉNDEZ SEP PHOTO: RICARDO ARMIJO CIÓN . A TIEM Grijalva River M L BRE A R G REGORIO V . G A PRERI FÉRICO RAL CARLOS G PELLICER V A Mezcalapa River TABASCO Gulf of Mexico MEXICO San Pedro To Ciudad del Carmen El Bosque 180 Lagoon of Términos Playa Playa Pico de Miramar El Tulipán Playa Playa Oro Frontera Limón Puerto El Bellote Azul Ceiba El Alacrán Hacienda Brondo Chiltepec Santa Cruz Laguna de Mecoacán La Machona Paraíso Coronel Andrés Lagoon El Golpe Sánchez Magallanes Pantanos El Carmen Villa Tecolutilla Comalcalco de Centla CAMPECHE El Yucateco Lagoon Cupilco Hacienda La Luz Jalpa de Méndez Hacienda Jesús María Finca Villa Benito Juárez Cholula Nacajuca Center for the Carlos Rovirosa Interpretation and Jonuta La Venta Co-existence with Cunduacán Nature Yumka’ Cárdenas Villahermosa tabasco To Coatzacoalcos San Jerónimo El Triunfo Zanapa River El Llano City of Pemex Chablé J. Santamaría La Paila Acalán Moral-Reforma Huimanguillo Tepetitán River Belén Emiliano Balancán Zapata Cascadas Macuspana Bajadas de Reforma Grandes Jalapa To Catazajá SanPedro River Estación Puxcatán River Santa Elena Chontalpa Pomoná VERACRUZ El Tulipán Agua Blanca Waterfalls Tacotalpa Mactún Canyon of the Tenosique Teapa Usumacinta Benito Juárez tourist attractions Tapijulapa PLACE OF INTEREST CAPITAL CITY HERITAGE LIGHTHOUSE Boca del Cerro POPULATION OF HUMANITY San Claudio Oxolotán MUSEUM ARCHEOLOGICAL ZONE Malpaso MAGICAL TOWN MONUMENT Tomás Garrido NATURAL AREA CHIAPAS Francisco I. Madero Malpasito Pichucalco To CIVIL ARCHITECTURE NATIVE PEOPLE BEACH RELIGIOUS ARCHITECTURE HANDICRAFTS MILITARY ARCHITECTURE GASTRONOMY DIVIDED HIGHWAY SQUARE FESTIVITY TOLL MOTORWAY ESTATE ROUTE SECONDARY HIGHWAY Note: These symbols refer to ROAD places described in this guide. Moral-Reforma Pantanos de Centla Mayan city located at the banks of San The wetlands of Centla are the most Pedro River and formed by different important biosphere and delta sys- monumental sites of the Classic Period tem of Mesoamerica. Therein are riv- (200-900 AD), out of which only three ers, mangroves and streams which al- plinths and one ballgame have been ex- Usumacinta River. together create a rare landscape. plored. From the dates craved on vari- PHOTO: MARÍA DE LOURDES ALONSO With more than 302 706 has of sur- ous monuments that are presently in face, the Centla wetlands constitute the Municipal Museum José Gómez an ecosystem in which 39 species of Panaco at Balancán, we know that it has and includes both part of the Usu- fish, 50 of amphibious and reptiles, 60 existed from the year 600 to 790 AD. macinta River and a relevant reserve of mammals and 125 of birds live. of high jungle. One can tour through Cascadas de Reforma the river and walk along trails. Pantanos de Centla. PHOTO: MARÍA DE LOURDES ALONSO CES These waterfalls are formed by the Boca del Cerro San Pedro River and are outstanding O / RAÍ EC H for their beauty. They are four water- Boca del Cerro or the hill’s mouth is C Tapijulapa falls, known as Tasiste, El Imperio, El located in the natural area of the Usu- Chile and La Botica, located at exu- macinta River Canyon. This site is an Considered as a magic town, it pre- berant jungle tunnels. ideal point to approach the majesty M.A. PA PHOTO: serves the traditional features of the of the Usumacinta River; it is worth Tamale of chipilín mountain range colonial villages. Be- sides admiring its environment, land- Tenosique seeing the metal bridge which cross- Gastronomy scape and architectonic characteris- es the river. The gastronomy of Tabasco besides A place full of local color located at sharing different ingredients and ways tics, one must not miss the main the bank of the Usumacinta River Pomoná of elaborating them with the rest of the square and the Santiago Apostle where José María Pino Suárez was Mayan area has its own elements, being Church. born. It offers different alternatives Pomoná is an important site for its hi- the most important the cacao bean since the prehispanic period. Another for eco-tourism. During its carnival eroglyphic inscriptions which have distinctive food brought to the region Tapijulapa. they dance “The Pochó Dance” that enabled us to know more about the on the XIX century is the banana. The PHOTO: SECTUR has deep prehispanic roots. region and the relationships among dishes of Tabasco include products the cities during the Mayan Classic from the lagoons, rivers and sea shore Miramar Beach Period (200-900 AD). Pomoná had a like the famous pejelagarto, literally a HANDICRAFTS lizard – fish. Worth mentioning are the A great variety of handicrafts are made in Cañón del Usumacinta hieroglyphic emblem which posi- It is one of the largest and most visited pozol, refreshing corn-based dish, and the villages of Tabasco, some of them tioned it in the hierarchy of regional beaches of the state. Its fine sand and It is a natural protected area with a sur- capital. Out of the six groups of the the tamal (corn-based sticky dough) of with ancient prehispanic techniques. In calm waters turn it into the ideal place for Nacajuca and Jalpa are made miniature face of approximately 46 thousand site only Group I, has been explored.