Fortín de las Flores

Fortín de las Flores
City

City Hall, Fortín de las Flores
Fortín de las Flores
Coordinates: 18°54′0″N 97°0′0″W / 18.90000°N 97.00000°WCoordinates: 18°54′0″N 97°0′0″W / 18.90000°N 97.00000°W
State Veracruz
Municipality Fortín
Established Late 18th century
Town status 15 July 1955
City status 12 November 1959
Government
 • Mayor Armel Cid de León (PRI)
Elevation 1,000 m (3,000 ft)
Population (2005)
 • City 18,965
 • Metro 53,311 (municip.)
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-7)
Website www.fortinver.gob.mx/

Fortín de las Flores is a city in the Mexican state of Veracruz. Fortín de las Flores is the municipal seat of Fortín municipality, which borders the municipalities of Córdoba, Naranjal and Ixtaczoquitlán. It stands on Federal Highways 190 and 180 and the Mexico City to Veracruz railway.

In the 2005 INEGI Census, the city reported a total population of 18,965, with 53,311 in the surrounding municipality.[1]

The ravine of Metlac, which has been declared a National Park on account of its extremely rich biodiversity and beautiful landscapes, is the most famous feature of Fortín de las Flores.

The residents of Fortín de las Flores are considered by freighthopping Central American migrants to be some of the most generous in Mexico.[2]

Travelers driving to the city of Veracruz from Mexico City pass through the colonial towns of Orizaba, Fortin de las Flores, and Cordoba. Orizaba is nestled under the snow-capped volcano Pico de Orizaba, the third-highest peak in North America at 18,491 feet, and Mexico’s highest. In Fortin de las Flores, the next stop on the journey, “flowers” form part of its name and much of its landscape. The small, industrial city of Cordoba is located about 10 minutes from Fortin.

The town’s central plaza where Mexico’s Declaration of Independence was signed offers a nice place to enjoy a sip of coffee, beer or rum, all products of local industry in this coffee and sugar growing region. From here travelers descend through sugar cane fields on their way to Veracruz and its fast-growing neighbor turned suburb Boca del Rio.

There are several 45-minute flights a day from Mexico City. By car or bus, the drive passes through the state of Puebla and across the formidable Cumbres de Maltrata Mountains down into the lush vegetation that characterizes just about the entire state. The drive from Mexico City to the port city of Veracruz takes under five hours on a toll road that has garnered a good rating from the American Automobile Association (AAA). Drivers should be aware that just outside Veracruz the return highway is at an 8,000-foot elevation and often enveloped in thick fog, making driving this stretch a challenge.

References

  1. ↑ "Fortín". Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México. INAFED. Retrieved 2008-11-06.
  2. ↑ Nazario, Sonia. Enrique's Journey. New York: Random House, 2006. p. 104

External links