DID YOU KNOW?
Xalapa, sometimes spelled Jalapa, has been described as an enclave of writers, artists, college students, and musicians, with Baroque and Neoclassical architecture and cobblestone streets. At night you can hear top-notch live music, by day you can visit great museums. Nearby mountains and forests are gorgeous for hiking and picnicking. Between the urban sophistication of Mexico City and the rumble of the port of Veracruz lies the highland charmer Xalapa (pronounced ha-LA-pa), the City of Flowers.
POPULATION
Xalapa’s population is approximately 390,000.
LOCATION
Xalapa is located on the slopes of the Sierra Madre Oriental in a rich agricultural region of fertile valleys. It is known for its beautiful parks, artificial lakes, and the proximity of interesting ruins. Xalapa is well known for its colonial architecture; diverse geography, including the Texolo waterfall at Xico; and the snow-capped volcano Pico de Orizaba.
Xalapa covers just under 119 square kilometers. The city is approximately 19.1 kilometers north-to-south and 15.7 kilometers east-to-west. Xalapa’s altitude averages 1200 meters above sea level, about three times as high above sea level as Omaha. The annual average temperature is 65 degrees Fahrenheit. It rains frequently in summer and early autumn, resulting in an annual average precipitation of nearly 60 inches.
HISTORY
The exact time when the area of Xalapa became inhabited is unknown. The historian Rivera Cambas estimates it was about 1300, at the time Tenochtitlan was founded, according to legend. It is not known either with certainty who were the first settlers. They might have been the Totonacas, who first settled in the foothills of the Macuiltépetl, founding later the town of Xallitic. Other historians think that the first settlers were the Toltecas, who in their travels towards Yucatan and Central America stopped some time in the area.
EXCHANGES
Meet the Mayor
More information to come
TOP BUSINESSES
CHEDRAUI - National supermarket chain with over 35,000 employees
MUEBLERÍAS CREDILAND - Furniture chain store with 1000 employees
ABARROTES FASTI - Mini mart/convenience store chain with 60 units
BOLA DE ORO - Coffee grower/roaster with 25 coffee shops
PROINVEL - Plastic bag manufacturer
STREGER - Medicine and bio products manufacturing
DINAMO - Motorcyle manufacturer
XALLAPAN - Water and beverage bottler
MOLE XIQUEÑO Mole factory selling to supermarket chains
PRODUCTOS LA HIGUERA - Packaged meat company
