Location:
Tabasco State, southeast Mexico
Distance from Mexico City: 465 miles
east
Population: 530,000
Closest major airport: Carlos
Rovirosa Intl aka Villahermosa Intl (VSA)
Time Zone: Central Standard Time
Villahermosa, the capital of Tabasco, is a
modern city located 50 miles from the Gulf
of Mexico, where the Carrizal and Grijalva
rivers meet. It features colorful flower
gardens, imposing palm trees, a tropical
atmosphere and friendly locals – only a few
of the reasons travelers are taken by the
city.
Zona Luz, the oldest part of the city,
features beautifully preserved structures
and two of the most striking buildings in
the city - the House of Tiles and the Center
of Olmec and Mayan Cultures (CICOM), which
won first prize in the World Biennial
Architectural Competition and houses the
Casa de Arte Jose Gorostiza and the Carlos
Pellicer Camara Regional Museum of
Anthropology.
La Venta Museum-Park and the Yumka Nature
Study Center are additional renowned sites,
offering archaeological ruins, exuberant
vegetation and pleasant open spaces. Tours
of Yumka include close contact with
white-tailed deer, scarlet macaws, toucans,
monkeys and enormous iguanas. Another area
of the park features fauna from different
parts of the world, including giraffes,
zebras and antelopes.
Tabasco 2000, the state’s administrative
center, is another site worth visiting. The
state-of-the-art facilities are surrounded
by hotels, banks, department stores,
convention centers and offices. It also
features nature parks and lagoons, including
the Parque Tomas Garrido, La Polvora and the
Parque de la Luz, all perfect for a variety
of outdoor activities.
The floating restaurant Capitan Beulo offers
delicious meals; similarly good restaurants
are available at the parks built on the
city’s river bends. Daring diners should try
dishes made from pejelagarto, a
strange mixture of fish and alligator served
up a variety of ways. |
