| Google View of the Coast |
| Gulf of Mexico |
| Islands |
| The Gulf of Mexico fronting onto Mexico is typically broad, low-relief coastal plain, except in the areas of near Palma Sola and Los Tuxtlas. The continental shelf is fairly narrow at the northern border and becomes even more narrow I copied the below description from an official US mariner´s guide. It must have 1800´s. I hope no sailors are looking for those flames from Volcano San Martin Tuxtla. Between Coatzacoalcos and the Rio Barilla, about 12 miles W, the coast is low and unvaried. The Rio Barilla is the entrance of a lagoon which is connected to Coatzacoalcos by a river S of the city. Punta San Juan (18°17'N., 94°37'W.), 5 miles N of the Rio Barilla, has a small islet lying close off it. Between Punta San Juan and Punta Zapotitlan, 20 miles NNW, the coast is backed by mountain ranges rising 3 to 8 miles inland. Cerro San Martin, conspicuous from seaward, stands 8 miles inland W of Punta San Juan. Between Punta Zapotitlan and Alvarado, 56 miles WNW, the first 33 miles of coast is lower, being composed of sand hills 15 to 61m high. Barra Sontecomapan, a bar with a depth of 1.8m, obstructs the entrance of Laguna Sontecomapan, 10 miles W of Punta Zapotitlan. The entrance may be identified by a conspicuous umbrella-shaped tree which stands on a bluff a little to the W of it. Punta El Barco, a bold, rounded bluff, rises 15 miles WNW of Punta Zapotitlan. Punta Roca Partida (18°42'N., 95°11'W.), marked by a light, consists of perpendicular cliffs located 8 miles WNW of Punta El Barco. A rocky islet lies close off the point. Volcan San Martin (18°33'N., 95°12'W.), 10 miles S of Punta Roca Partida, is a 1,650m high volcano, which can be readily distinguished from a great distance in clear weather. When active, the column of smoke by day and the flames at night make this volcano an excellent landmark. |
| Mother Nature provided many natural wonders to Los Tuxtlas but skipped on the islands. There is only one, Isla Terrón. There are a few rocks off several beaches in Los Tuxtlas, and there are several shallow reefs off the Santa Marta Coast |
| Lighthouses |
| Sail on!" it says: "sail on, ye stately ships! And with your floating bridge the ocean span; Be mine to guard this light from all eclipse. Be yours to bring man neared unto man." That is an excerpt from "The Lighthouse" poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow about the soon to be abandoned structures that guided sailors through the dark. Although lacking romance, GPS (satellite based Global Positioning Systems), are the electronic future. Los Tuxtlas are surrounded by lighthouses. Veracruz city boasts the first modern lighthouse in Mexico, built in 1795, and the surrounding seas from there to Coatzacoalcos abound with many unique structures. Roca Partida 40 foot (13m) lighthouse sits on a magnificent volcanic bluff above a cave in which the pirate Lorencillo allegedly buried his treasure. The keeper's quarters at present are a sheep farm and fenced against visitors. Built in 2009, it still serves the mostly primitive local fishing industry. Access by car is from the highway in front via 15 cattle gates, or a 30 minute uphill climb from Arroyo de Lisa. About 90 minutes from Catemaco. Punta Zapotitlan 100 foot (30m) lighthouse possibly dates from the 1920´s and its premier location near Perla del Golfo, makes it a magnificent focus for offshore viewing of the Sierra Santa Marta. Visits are only possible by a boat taxi from Sontecomapan (1000-1500 pesos round trip per boat) or a hard 6 hour drive from Catemaco. |
| The total Los Tuxtlas coast length is 144km. Angel R. Cabada - 24km San Andrés Tuxtla - 28km Catemaco - 18km Mecayapan -31km Tathuicapan - in contention with Mecayapan & Pajapan Pajapan - 43km Many communities occupy the coast on the San Martin side, the much larger Santa Marta side, though, is almost unoccupied. You can read more about these pueblos here: Thee coast of San Andrés Tuxtla The coast of Catemaco |
| The Coast |
| The coast of the Sierra de Los Tuxtlas runs app. 110 kilometers from Punta Puntillas near Roca Partida to Punta San Juan south of Peña Hermosa. Rocky outcroppings alter with sand dunes, punctured with dozens of rivers and arroyos plunging into the Gulf of Mexico. Touristically unexploited, much of the shore areas have been mutlilated with cattle fencing and only isolated spots maintain original vegetation. |
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| Los Tuxtlas Geography Veracruz, México |
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