List of Recently Called
or
Currently Serving Missionaries

Were you recently called?
Or do you know someone who was?
Or do you have a friend or relative who is currently serving?
Let me know…I would be happy to add them to the page!

KDM@inficad.com

What are the physical attributes of Veracruz?

The State of Veracruz is located on the Gulf of Mexico. The northern end of the state is a couple hundred miles south of Brownsville, TX. The southern end is about where the coastline starts turning north to form the "boot" of the Yucatan peninsula.

The largest city is the City of Veracruz, found on the coast, about in the middle of the state. However, the City of Veracruz is not the capital city. The capital is the city of Jalapa (also spelled Xalapa), which is located several hours west of the City of Veracruz (and several thousand feet higher).

The City of Veracruz is close to where Hernán Cortez landed when he arrived to conquer and claim the land for Spain. The ruins of his first settlement are still visible just to the north of the City of Veracruz.

The highest mountain in Mexico is located in the State of Veracruz. It is El Pico de Orizaba (Citialtépetl), measuring 18,855 feet (5747 meters), it is snow-capped year round. It is straight west of the City of Veracruz and on a clear day it is visible from there.

There are quite a number of rivers, streams, lakes, bays, harbors, estuaries, lagoons, and other bodies of water. Along the coast there are a number of small islands.

The City of Veracruz is one of the major ports along the Gulf of Mexico. The port is currently being expanded to accommodate a even larger volume of sea going cargo. The port is watched over by an ancient Spanish fort, San Juan de Ulua, but its protecting days are over, it is now a museum.

What is the Climate like?

Warm.

Humid.

Tropical.

The 4 seasons are generally less well defined than in many parts of the US. During the winter several series of storms called "Nortes" hits the coast from out of the Gulf of Mexico bringing torrential rains and strong winds. Each storm lasts several days followed by several very pleasant clear days before the cycle repeats itself. The rains are strong enough to turn streets into streams, streams into rivers and low lying areas into small lakes

Springtime also brings rain but it is usually less intense than the "Nortes" of winter. All the countryside grows during this time of year. In some parts of Veracruz large tree branches are cut to use for fence posts. With the warm weather, fertile soil and plentiful moisture these "fence post" take root and start growing again. Crews are dispatched to cut back the undergrowth and keep the jungle from taking over the smaller roads and highways.

Summertime usually runs from about mid-May through mid-August. During this time in the coastal lowlands the temperatures and humidity can both be in the 90s. The higher cities in Veracruz warm up too, but they top out 25 deg. or so cooler, with much lower humidity as well. In some locations a light sweater would not be out of place on a summer evening. In the major coastal cities however, even getting caught in a summer shower would only slightly increase a person's dampness factor and a summer sweater would be unheard of.

The largest cities (and hence, the cities with the most missionaries) are located in the coastal lowlands. Everything grows there. The most common crops are sugar cane, pineapple, citrus and tropical fruits (mangos, papayas, and bananas are the better known, but there are many more fruits there that never make it to markets in the US). Some of the largest sugar refineries in the world are in the State of Veracruz.

In the higher elevations, away from the coastal lowlands the tropical fruits are still seen but as the elevation increases other crops are added. One of the more major crops of higher elevations is coffee. There are several larger production areas for coffee near Córdoba, Orizaba, and the capital city of Xalapa, but it is also produced in many other smaller locations as well.

Just past the coastal mountain is the high plateau of Central Mexico. At this point the tropical coastal area gives way to a fairly dry desert region. Cactus grows well here and so there are vast areas of cultivated maguay cactus from which tequila is made. Only a very small part of this high desert is in the State of Veracruz, most of it is found in adjoining states and different missions.

What does it look like?

Green

Growing

Jungle

What do people do there?

 Agriculture
Sugar cane and coffee are both rather labor intensive industries since both are harvested by hand before being processed by machinery. The harvesting and transporting of other food crops also involves many people.

Petroleum
Major oil fields are located in the State of Veracruz. The largest are in the areas of Poza Rica (north end of the state) and Coatzacoalcos and Minatitlán (south end of the state). Major pipeline operations connect the oil fields with ports and major cities.

Industry
There is some mining and several foundries in Veracruz. One of the largest is a steel mill located just outside the city of Veracruz that specializes in steel pipe and tubing. There are also factories that process field crops for the marketplace. The largest of these is the sugar industry with major refineries in Carlos A. Carrillo (south-central Veracruz) and Martinez de la Torre (north central Veracruz). Vanilla is also grown and processed in north-central Veracruz, in Papantla and Gutierrez Zamora.

Fishing
Since all of Veracruz is close to the ocean, fishing is an obvious industry along the whole length of the state.