![]() ![]() The 19th century was marked by armed conflicts. The pirates Van Hoorn, Laurens de Graafand Michel de Grammont attacked Vera Cruz in 1683. Through the rest of the colonial period, this was the most important port in New Spain, with a large wealthy merchant class that was more prosperous than that of Mexico City. In 1640, the Barlovento Armada was stationed here for additional defense against pirates. In 1618, a fire nearly reduced much of the city to ashes. Major public buildings were constructed at the beginning of the 17th century: the municipal palace, the monastery of Nuestra Señora de la Merced, and the Hospital de Nuestra Señora de Loreto. This caused the city problems with pirates, prompting the construction of Fort San Juan de Ulúa on the island where Grijalva had landed in the mid-16th century. Their gold and silver were the principal exports. Before the slave trade was abolished, Mexico had the second-highest population of African slaves in the Americas, following Brazil.īy the end of the 16th century, the Spanish had constructed roads to link Veracruz with other cities such as Córdoba, Orizaba, Puebla, Xalapa and Perote. In the 16th century, this state had more slaves than any other in Mexico. The Spanish began to import African slaves via the port of Veracruz to work on sugarcane plantations. Docks and an observation tower were constructed on the island to ensure that goods went through customs officials.Īs in other parts of Mexico, the indigenous peoples suffered from epidemics of European infectious diseases, which decimated the population after contact. When large-scale smuggling of goods took place to avoid customs officials, the Spanish Crown ordered the settlement returned to its original site to cut down on that traffic. Ships continued to dock at San Juan de Ulúa, with small boats being used to ferry goods on and off the ships. This separated the city from the port, as ships could not enter the shallow river. The original settlement was moved to what is now known as Antigua, at the mouth of the Huitzilpan (or Antigua River) shortly thereafter. The city was the first on mainland America to receive a European coat of arms, which was authorized by Carlos V in Valladolid, Spain on 4 July 1523. When Cortés and his soldiers abolished the Aztec despotism and elected a “Justicia Mayor” and a “Capitán General”, they created the first city council on the American continent. The name Villa Rica (rich village) referred to the gold that was found here and Vera cruz (True Cross) was added because the Cortés expedition landed on Good Friday, a Christian holy day. Cortés, Francisco de Montejo and Alonso Hernández Puertocarrero founded the settlement, naming it Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz. ![]() Cortés and his men landed at the shore opposite the island where Grijalva had moored, which has the pre-Hispanic name of Chalchihuecan. The word for Aztec evolved into Ulúa.īecause the first expedition detected the presence of gold in the region, a second expedition under the command of Hernán Cortés arrived in 1519. When they asked the locals what had happened, they said the Aztecs had ordered the sacrifice. According to tradition, when the Spanish arrived, they found two young men who had been sacrificed. De Ulúa is derived from the local name for the Aztecs, coluha or acolhua. The Spanish gave it that name because they landed on the Christian feast of John the Baptist, and in honor of the captain. The Spanish captain Juan de Grijalva, along with Bernal Díaz del Castillo, first arrived in 1518 at the island later known as San Juan de Ulúa. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |