Acultzingo

Acultzingo is a small town at the western edge of Veracruz, where the mountains rise steeply toward the high plateau of Puebla. Above it are the Cumbres de Acultzingo, the pass that has been known since colonial times as the roughest stretch of the road between the port of Veracruz and Mexico City. The old federal highway 150 still climbs it in a chain of tight switchbacks.

The pass has its place in history. On April 28, 1862, French troops marching inland fought Mexican forces under General Ignacio Zaragoza here. Zaragoza pulled back to Puebla, where a week later, on May 5, his army defeated the French in the battle now celebrated as Cinco de Mayo.

Today most traffic takes the toll highway through Maltrata, so the drive over the Cumbres is quieter. On a clear day it opens up long views back over the green Acultzingo valley and the folded ridges of the Sierra Madre Oriental. In town, the parish church of San Juan Bautista is worth a stop.