Villahermosa, Tabasco

Villahermosa (Spanish: Beautiful Village) is the capital city of Tabasco, Mexico, and the municipal seat of Centro municipality. Villahermosa reported a population of 658,524 in the 2005 census, whereas Centro municipality had 558,524. The municipality has an area of 1,612 km² (622.4 sq mi).

1 The city
2 History
3 Places of interest
4 Geography and natural resources
5 Climate
6 Education
7 Twinning
8 See also
9 References
10 Further reading
11 External links

[edit] The city

City hall

Tabasco's political powers reside here. It is the main city of the state of Tabasco and is home to the state's largest concentration of population. The city is an important business center for the Mexican oil industry. Also known as La Esmeralda del Sureste (The Emerald of the Southeast), Villahermosa is a modern city rich in natural resources, both for agriculture and farming.

[edit] History

City center

Founded officially on June 24, 1596 by Spaniards on the banks of the Grijalva River under the name of Villa Hermosa, in 1826 the village was raised to the rank of city under the name of San Juan Bautista (Saint John the Baptist). The city was captured and occupied by U.S. forces after the battle of Tabasco during the Mexican-American War. During the French intervention in Mexico, French troops occupied the city. In 1916, the governor of Tabasco, Francisco J. Múgica, ordered to restore the city's name to Villahermosa.^[1]

Currently Villahermosa is a major modern city in the southeast of the Mexican Republic.

[edit] Places of interest

Cabeza Olmeca. Parque-Museo de La Venta

Plaza de Armas Villahermosa (main square)
Zona Luz (downtown)
Catedral del Señor de Tabasco (Cathedral of the Lord of Tabasco)
CICOM complex
La Venta Museum-Park - with many Olmec artifacts and animals
Tomás Garrido Canabal Park
Tabasco History Museum
Galerías Tabasco 2000 (shopping mall)
Yumká (zoo where animals are in totally freedom)
Tulipanes Restaurant (local catering)
La Choca Park
Tabasco Park during the Feria festivities
Papagayo Children's Museum
Malecón "Carlos A. Madrazo" (levee beside the Grijalva River)
Ésquimos de la Catedral (refreshing drink made of vanilla, strawberries, milk, and crushed ice)

[edit] Geography and natural resources

Museo de Antropología Carlos Pellicer

Villahermosa is located in the southeast of Mexico between the rivers Grijalva and Carrizal. The average elevation of the city is 10 meters above sea level. The city also has several lagoons, the most important being La Laguna de las Ilusiones (Illusions Lagoon).

The most important city roads are Paseo Tabasco, Gregorio Méndez Avenue, the Periférico, Ruiz Cortines Avenue, and Pino Suárez Avenue.

[edit] Climate

Climate chart for Villahermosa

116

102

225

173

242

303

324

177

166

temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm
source: [1]

Imperial conversion

Like most of the state, Villahermosa has a tropical climate. Temperature, during spring and summer, reaches up to 40°C and humidity during the same period is about 90%. In the short winter, the climate is very humid and temperature decreases to around 15°C.

The most remarkable season of the year is spring, as the framboyán, guayacán, macuilis, and other tropical vegetation flower, adding to the city a beautiful sense of joy on the major avenues.

In October 2007, Villahermosa suffered its worst flood in recorded history. Several hundred thousand people were displaced because of flooded homes.