Slowing Down on Olmec Time

Perhaps I should have flown into Catemaco on a broomstick rather than arriving by bus. This town in the southeastern part of Veracruz state is renowned for its annual gathering of brujos (witches) on the first Friday of March. They were gone when I arrived a week and a half later, but Catemaco capitalizes on witchery all year. Stalls sell T-shirts printed with Halloween-style witches, pointed hats and all. On the reception desk of my hotel was a stack of “diplomas” certifying that (fill in your name) is a member of the Cofraternidad de Brujos de la Region de Los Tuxtlas and participated in the rites and ceremonies involved in the conclave.

When I got off the bus, a fellow asked if I was looking for a curandero (healer). And the Hotel del Brujo offered temptingly low rates. (I didn’t stay there.) A blue house on Aldama street advertised free consultations by an expert in occult science. And one could imbibe at the 7 Brujas (seven female witches) bar and restaurant, an open-air structure that looked more Balinese than Mexican.

Other than this, I found only a traditional peaceful town where the loudest noise is, strange to say, silence.

Two years ago, when I was in the city of Veracruz, I tried in vain to take a day tour to Catemaco, about 100 miles south. I’d been persuaded by visitors’ stories of how beautiful and peaceful the area is. Then I ran into one of the downsides of traveling alone: The tours offered by agencies were for two or more, and no one else wanted to go. Hindsight reveals this was fortunate, for a few hours cannot do justice to this home of the ancient Olmec people.

Situated at the rim of a large and beautiful lake just a few miles from the Gulf of Mexico, Catemaco offers a peaceful escape from the world’s travails. It probably is packed during the peak vacation seasons for Mexicans (Easter and July, August and December), but in March it was empty, even on a four-day holiday weekend honoring Benito Juarez, a 19th century president. The sultry season settles on the Veracruz coast in April, and hurricane season runs from July till November; I had chosen the perfect time to visit.

I was the only guest on the third floor of my hotel, Los Arcos. I had views of the lake on three sides and my own private seating area in the breezy arcade outside. Meanwhile, the port city of Veracruz was awash in tourists; hotel rooms were scarce; fast-food rubbish littered walkways near the plaza, and it was impossible to penetrate the crowds swarming along the waterfront promenade at night.

Isolation helps to keep Catemaco pleasant. It’s a three-hour bus ride from Veracruz, which is 235 superhighway miles from Mexico City.

The region is known as Los Tuxtlas for the towns of San Andres Tuxtla and Santiago Tuxtla, near Catemaco. The rolling countryside, gentle meadows, tropical dells and fields of sugar cane, tobacco and other crops lie along the Tuxtla mountain range. Among its peaks is the San Martin volcano, which erupted disastrously in 1793.

The Tuxtla region’s importance to Mexico, and to visitors with more than a casual interest in the country, is its heritage as a center of Olmec culture that flourished here from about 400 BC to 1200.

I had been fascinated by the colossal stone Olmec heads on display at the Museum of Anthropology in Jalapa, the state capital, and I wanted to visit Tres Zapotes, an important Olmec site in the country outside Santiago Tuxtla.

I am a budget traveler, so one morning, I hopped a second-class bus to Santiago, an hour’s journey from Catemaco because the bus stops so frequently. I doubted that I could reach Tres Zapotes because I was alone and had no means of transportation to the remote site. In Santiago, the largest of all Olmec heads found so far--45 to 50 tons, and about 11 feet tall--stands in solemn glory in the town plaza. This is the only head--about a dozen have been unearthed so far--with closed eyes, figured to represent a sleeping or dead person. El Museo Tuxteco, a fine small museum adjacent to the plaza, contains another head, this one with a cranky expression.

Happily, I learned from the museum attendant that I could go to the town of Tres Zapotes via colectivo (communal taxi). So many people squeezed in with me that I hung onto the seat in front in case the pressure caused the door beside me to burst open. The countryside was magnificent, just empty, luxuriant land, with few signs of habitation.

Tres Zapotes’ museum consists of four compact open-walled pavilions in a grassy park. The centerpiece of the small collection of artifacts is the first head to be discovered, an angry-looking fellow dug out of a nearby mound in 1862 (or, by some accounts, 1858.)

The museum attendant had drawn a map that I could follow to the first discovery mound, called Loma Camila. I set off, shaded from the midday sun by an umbrella.

Walking through a tiny Mexican town such as Tres Zapotes is a pleasure in itself. Friendly schoolchildren greeted me. Brilliant bursts of purple and pink bougainvillea spilled over front yards, and an occasional horseman trotted down the street.

The map led me accurately past the empty plaza, a kindergarten and a bridge to a tree-lined country lane flanked by sugar cane.

I spied a mound far off in the fields. Wanting to verify that this was Loma Camila, I approached a man cutting a tree branch and his friend, who was on horseback. Yes, this was Loma Camila, they said, but I could see that it was too far for me to reach on foot.

Back in Catemaco, my evening’s entertainment consisted of watching kids play in the plaza while I demolished a paleta (ice pop) made from the lushly flavored tropical fruit called guanabana. Dinner was tacos from a tiny stand that a woman named Mercedes set up in the evenings. (I have no qualms about eating clean, freshly prepared street food.)

The next day I went to San Andres Tuxtla, a busy commercial center made wealthy by tobacco. The highway is lined with factories that turn out the best cigars in Mexico, or so smokers tell me. I went into one, La Veracruzana, which posts a sign welcoming visitors. There wasn’t much to see, just a small room where employees cut and wrap the tobacco.

A long walk downhill led me to the plaza and cathedral, which is quite plain inside compared with Catemaco’s beautifully ornamented sanctuary. The Hotel del Parque has an outdoor coffee shop, good for watching passersby and sipping cafe con leche.

In the morning I sought out another colectivo, this one a launch that tours Lake Catemaco. The first stop was the shrine of La Virgen del Carmen at El Tegal. According to local legend, an apparition of the Virgin Mary appeared to a fisherman at this spot, some say in 1664. Devout Mexicans still come here on pilgrimage. From the launch, I could see only a small cave at water’s edge.

Then we were off to the islands where the University of Veracruz keeps monkeys--macaques--to study. The big fellows came down to greet us, hoping for treats, and grew furious when birds attempted to snatch the peanuts we threw.

A few miles away is the Eyipantla waterfall, which I made note to visit on my next trip.

The launch stopped for half an hour at a spot called Nanciyaga, a touristy ecological preserve where one can stay in grass huts, dine on fish from the lake and indulge in mineral baths and mud facials. We drank fresh mineral water from leaf cups and toured sites where pre-Hispanic rituals are sometimes reenacted.

A small hut housed a shaman said to remove evil vibrations by uttering incantations and sweeping believers with fresh herbs. Only one woman in my group took advantage of this 60-peso ($6.50) opportunity. At the gift shop, I succumbed to a bottle of magic oil containing sacred herbs guaranteed to help in fraudulent business deals and other serious matters.

That night I dined on a Catemaco specialty, carne de chango (monkey meat). This is not monkey flesh but smoked pork, delightfully baconlike in flavor. I ordered it again the next day for breakfast at the terrace restaurant of the Hotel Catemaco. There it is served, along with black beans, in pellizcados, freshly made corn tortillas that are pinched to form little pockets to absorb the filling.

Catemaco is packed with hotels and eating places, most of them almost empty during my stay. Local people recommend Los Sauces, a restaurant that overlooks the lake. I liked Barullos, where I sat on a balcony looking down on the plaza and cathedral. The service was excellent and the atmosphere pleasant, with candles on the tables. I ordered a house specialty, Discada Barullos. Discada means a variety, an apt name for this dish of steak, green pepper, onions, bacon and pineapple tossed together like a Chinese stir-fry and served in a large black stone bowl.

Staying in Catemaco means settling down to a quiet pace. Traffic is almost nonexistent, and you can easily walk from one end to the other of the tourist district. Shops sell shell objects, leather purses, hats and so forth without pressure. From a display of clothing strung against a wall, I selected a hand-embroidered blouse from the neighboring state of Oaxaca.

As my bus pulled away from Catemaco the next afternoon, a tiny boy gazed through the window at the lake and said, sadly, “Adios, agua” (goodbye, water). I too felt regret. Four or five days is time enough to see Catemaco and the surrounding towns, but the peace that I experienced merits a longer stay, and certainly a return trip.

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GUIDEBOOK

Coasting Through Los Tuxtlas

Getting there: The closest major airport is at Veracruz. Mexicana, Continental and Aeromexico have connecting flights from Los Angeles (one plane change) starting at $428 round trip.

Rent a car at the airport or take a bus to Catemaco from the terminal in central Veracruz. Autobuses de Oriente (ADO) makes the three-hour trip several times a day. Fare: $7.

To reach Santiago Tuxtla or San Andres Tuxtla from Catemaco, go to the Transportes Los Tuxtlas bus station.

To visit Tres Zapotes, exit the Museo Tuxteco in Santiago Tuxtla. Turn right and walk to the first street. Turn right again. Continue on this street to the bridge over the Rio Grande. Cross the bridge and walk through the plaza to the lineup of colectivo taxis.

Where to stay: It is wise to reserve in advance, but guides who meet the buses can be helpful. The following are hotels in Catemaco; rates may double during holidays.

Hotel Los Arcos, Madero No. 7; telephone 011-52-294-3-00-03. Has air-conditioning and a pool; room for two, $50.

Hotel Catemaco, across from the plaza; tel. 011-52-294-3-02-03. Has pool and restaurant. Doubles, $35.

Hotel Berthangel, Madero No. 1; tel. 011-52-294-3-00-89. Doubles, $33.

Posada Koniapan, Revolucion at Paseo Malecon; tel. 011-52-294-3-00-63. Has a pool and large garden. Air-conditioned rooms are $26.

For more information: Mexican Government Tourism Office, 2401 W. 6th St., Los Angeles, CA 90057; tel. (213) 351-2069, fax (213) 351-2074, Internet https://www.mexico-travel.com.