Nineteenth-Century Townscapes of Eastern Mexico

Abstract

HE years after independence from Spain were a formative period for urban developments in Mexico as well as an era when Mexico became a favorite of foreign travelers and visitors.' Their accounts are important documentation about the contemporary urban scene and are eyewitness evidence of the towns that were visited. In this article I present composite views of four towns in eastern Mexico that were frequent stopovers for travelers between Veracruz and Mexico City from 1822 to 1875. During that period travelers saw the major towns as centers of social and economic activities. The towns represented civilized surroundings and refuges from the wildness of the countryside. Although the rural scene sometimes proved disturbing to nineteenth-century visitors, the urban landscape offered familiar, if exotic, views. A stopover usually allowed the traveler ample time to inspect the sights and scenes of city life. Veracruz, Jalapa, Orizaba, and Puebla served a varied menu to a discerning