Villa Rica

Villa Rica is a small village on a sheltered bay of the central Veracruz coast, in the municipality of Actopan, about 75 km north of the port of Veracruz. INEGI lists it as Villa Rica de la Veracruz, with 180 people at the 2020 census, 19 m above sea level. The bay is closed to the east by a rocky headland called Punta Villa Rica or Punta Bernal, and to the west rises the Cerro de los Metates with the Totonac ruins of Quiahuiztlan on its slopes. Seasonal lagoons such as the Laguna del Llano lie on the plain behind the beach.

This is where the first Spanish town in Mexico took shape. After landing on Good Friday, 22 April 1519, on the beaches facing San Juan de Ulúa, Hernán Cortés sent pilots including Antón de Alaminos up the coast to look for a better site, and they chose this plain in front of Quiahuiztlan, protected by the hills and open to the sea. Here the Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz was laid out with plots for the settlers, a church, a plaza with a pillory, a town hall, a jail, a shipyard and a fortress, built with Totonac labour. By tradition it was also here that Cortés had his ships run aground so his men could not go back to Cuba. The town served as the Spanish base for less than five years before it was moved south to the banks of the Huitzilapan, at today's La Antigua. INAH excavations between 1989 and 1992 uncovered the stone fortress around its central courtyard, Spanish burials laid out in the shape of a cross that may include Juan de Escalante and his soldiers, a lime kiln and a small copper coin from the reign of the Catholic Monarchs. The archaeologist in charge has warned that the remains now cover less than a quarter of a hectare, overgrown and hemmed in by holiday homes.

Today the village is known mostly for its beach. The water in the bay is calm and clear, turquoise to green, and good for swimming, with palapas serving fresh seafood, simple places to eat, cabins facing the sea, toilets and showers. Sand dunes rise beside the beach and can be crossed on foot to a quieter stretch of shore. About 15 minutes' walk along the coast, steps lead down the cliffs known as La Quebrada, where adventure operators run rappels of about 50 m. The local people live from fishing and small farm plots, and the Quiahuiztlan site is a short drive up the hill.