Huatusco
Huatusco is the better-known name of "Huatusco de Chicuellar", a city in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The name of Huatusco de Chicuellar comes from a farmer who was not very rich but paid the price of Huatusco in order to not sell the town to a person who wanted to buy the town to start industries and destroy everything what was there. It is one of the 212 municipalities that make up the Mexican state of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave. It is located on the Xalapa Mexico City railroad. Huatusco is surrounded by important hills such as Cerro de ecatepec, Cerro de Elotepec, and mostly by the Sierra Madre Orientale. So many years ago, Huatusco was called "La Ciudad de los Pianos", because they had a piano in every household. It was founded by Italian immigrants in the nineteenth century, that’s why some Mexican especially in certain areas have similarities with Italians and they are also both speak languages with a lain base. They also believe in the same religion, and they are both committed Catholics. Huatusco is bordered by Calcahualco, it is the state of Puebla, Ixhuatlán del Café and Federal Highway 180. The area of Huatusco is 78.19 mi² and the total population of Huatusco in 2020 was 59,920 inhabitants. Out of the 59.920 inhabitants 52.3% are woman, and 47.7% are men. The oldest church in Huatusco, which is catholic, is the church of San Antonio de Padua. It is one of the biggest churches in the whole state of Veracruz, Mexico that stands at 20 meters high. In the “Cerro de Guadalupe” there is hill that a church on top of it and every year on December 11th and 12th catholic people hold religious festivities to celebrate Guadalupe's virgin day. During the religious festivities the priest holds a mass to celebrate and after that people stay around the hill to have a beautiful picnic with lots of delicious and homemade food. Some of the traditional foods they eat are bunuelos, which are a flat, semisweet cake made mainly of eggs, flour, and milk fried in deep fat and usually served with sugar and cinnamon or cane syrup. Tortas, a sandwich served on a roll or bun that is filled with a wide variety of ingredients including different types of meats and cheeses with beans, avocado, peppers, etc. Tacos, a small hand-sized corn- or wheat-based tortilla topped with a filling of your choice, people with low resources often eat “tacos de sal” which is a warm tortilla and salt because they cannot afford meat or beans. Tamales, a corn-based dough mixture that is filled with different types of meats or beans and cheese. Tamales are wrapped and cooked in corn husks or banana leaves, but they are removed from the husks before eating. Atole, a hot Mexican beverage typically made from masa (corn dough) or masa harina (dough flour), water, and spices. Sometimes it is made with oatmeal, rice, barley, or wheat. Pozole, it is made from hominy with meat, and can be seasoned and garnished with shredded lettuce or cabbage, chili peppers, onion, garlic, radishes, avocado, salsa or limes. These foods are very important and traditional to the people in Huatusco , they also cook these foods throughout the year but not much as in the holidays. During the holidays these foods are a staple of their culture and community. In Huatusco, Mexico the wet season is overcast, the dry season is partially cloudy, and it is warm the entire year. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 48°F to 84°F and is rarely below 42°F or above 91°F. The warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico contribute the warm and humid climate. Huatusco’s elevation is located at (0 feet) above sea level. It typically receives about 173.63 millimeters (6.84 inches) of precipitation and has 182.42 rainy days (49.98% of the time) annually and the highest monthly average rainfall occurs in August and September. There are 100 fruit plants in Huatusco and some common varieties consist of pepper, maize and Tomato. Some flowers that they grow are peace lilies, Chinese hibiscus, flamingo flowers, golden dewdrops, French lavender, four o’ clock flower, etc. However, there are also 100 toxic plants that grow there as well which are the snake plants, common bean, and aloe vera. If you ever see any of these, be sure to keep your distance and protect your family and pets from getting poisoned. There are also 100 types of weeds, and a few common ones are common purslane, common sow thistle, and common dandelions. Huatusco grows many things, but it is known for its tobacco, sugar cane and coffee. Huatusco is an ideal region to grow coffee because of its abundant rainfall. Huatusco is an ideal region to grow coffee thanks to its abundant rainfall but due to the rainy days and colder nights the fermentation process gets delayed sometimes. Huatusco is a small quiet town during the week, most of the neighbors know each other. It has several hotels, the most know hotel there is called "Los Cocuyos". It has a nice golf course to play, amazing food, a pool and many more great amenities. There are also more economical hotels there that are also nice and have great hospitality. Huatusco is rich in culture, festivals and traditions. During the end of April and the beginning of May there is a carnival in which its colorful and joyful and all the citizens participate or attend. They also honor the Holy cross on the same month. Its patron saint's day is June 13, the Day of San Antonio de Padua. In November, Xantolo is celebrated, it is an important Day of the Dead festival. This month also celebrates Santa Cecilia, patron saint of musicians. On December 1st to December 12th there are neighborhood festivals, masses pilgrimages are held in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe, which is visited by thousands of Catholics from all over the world. Her sanctuary is located on the outskirts of the city on the top of a hill that has a monumental image of the Virin of Guadalupe measuring 30 meters.