Special Sub-Topic: Travels in Mexico Part 1 Authored by: hrxlam Sub-topic of: Mexico

Our first stop was the colonial city of Puebla. Puebla was the site of an historic battle which took place on May 5, 1862. The Mexicans were victorious over which country's army?

France. 6,500 French troops were defeated by 4,500 poorly armed Mexicans. The French were trying to establish the reign of Archduke Maximilian.

Our next destination was the capital of the state of Veracruz. Can you name this city?

Xalapa. Xalapa (also spelled Jalapa, we don't know why) is home to the University of Veracruz which has an outstanding anthropology museum. We discovered, the hard way, that the museum is not open on Mondays.

Near Xalapa is Mexico's highest mountain. What is the name of this snowcapped peak?

Pico de Orizaba. The volcano last erupted in 1546 and is 18,856 feet high. Its Aztec name is Citlatepetl which means, "star mountain".

Continuing our travels, we next stopped in Villahermosa where one can view giant stone heads built by which pre-hispanic civilization?

Olmec. These Olmec heads and other pieces can be viewed in the Parque-Museo de La Venta which also is home to a jolly good wildlife park.

While driving in Mexico you will encounter roughly one million speed bumps. What are these delightful impediments called?

Topes. Beware of the topes which usually come in pairs and tend to show up in some of the strangest places. Some of favorites include, "the unmarked tope", "the tope that scrapes the bottom of the car off", and "the middle of nowhere tope".

On January 1, 1994, rebels, calling themselves Zapatistas, seized which city in the state of Chiapas?

San Cristobal de Las Casas. The rebels' aim was a redistribution of power and the state's resources from the wealthy to the poor majority. The fighting that ensued resulted in 145 deaths in 12 days before the Zapatistas were driven out of the city.

What is the name of a popular Mexican breakfast dish consisting mainly of corn tortilla chips?

Chilaquiles. Very yummy. This dish is served with raw onions, red or green chili sauce, and cheese. Regional variations may include fried eggs or chicken.

After nearly running out of gas in the Sierra Madre del Sur mountains we reached Oaxaca. This city was founded by which Spanish conquistador in 1529?

Hernando Cortez. The city of Oaxaca is capital of the state of Oaxaca and was the birthplace of Benito Juarez, one of Mexico's greatest liberal reformers.

Near Oaxaca are the ruins of which ancient city built by the Zapotecs around 500 BC?

Monte Alban. The ceremonial site is spectacularly situated on a mountain above the Oaxaca Valley. At its height around 300 AD, the city supported 40,000 inhabitants.

A hair raising six hour drive through the mountains landed us at the beach in a sleepy resort whose name literally means, "undiscovered or hidden port". What is the name of this town?

Puerto Escondido. Puerto Escondido, well known among surfers, is a great place to take it easy and relax on the beach.