Coatzacoalcos

Coatzacoalcos is a city and port in the state of Veracruz, located next to the homonymous river, on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Coatzacoalcos means in Nahuatl 'place where the snake hides'. Its name is due to an ancient legend that tells that in the year 947, Quetzalcóatl arrived in this city and on board a raft he sailed across the river until he was lost on the horizon under the promise of returning one day. Quetzalcóatl's followers stayed in that place waiting for the return of his leader, this is how the first settlements in the region appeared.

Somewhere in the great expanse of land between the Coatzacoalcos river and Ixhuatlán del Sureste, between the Teapa and San Antonio rivers, was probably the indigenous town that historians of the conquest say they have known, and which is called Guazaqualco or Huazaqualco.

It is the most important and developed city in southern Veracruz. Its development has been generated by the establishment of the high altitude port and by the rise of the Pajaritos, Morelos and Cangrejera petrochemical complexes. The Municipality of Coatzacoalcos, located north of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, borders the municipalities of: Moloacán, Pajapan, Minatitlán, Cosoleacaque, Agua Dulce, Nanchital de Lázaro Cárdenas and Ixhuatlán del Sureste. It houses the Ejidos of: 5 de Mayo, Francisco Villa, La Esperanza, Lázaro Cárdenas, Manuel Almanza, Overpass, Colorado and Guillermo Prieto, in addition to the congregations of Villa Allende, Las Barrillas and Mundo Nuevo whose Municipal Head is the City of Coatzacoalcos.

Toponymy

Coatzacoalcos comes from the Nahuatl coatl, which means 'snake', tzacualli, 'sack or shelter where something is kept or hidden', and co, place suffix. Its literal translation is, then, 'in the snake's hideout', although the metaphorical meaning of the name is unknown, a common trend in Nahuatl. Edward Sellers links the term Coatzacoalcos to the legend of Quetzalcóatl, but the interpretation, although popularized, is doubtful. According to legend, a Toltec priest, named Ce Acatl, emigrated due to the shame that his indecencies in drinking pulque caused him and "headed east" in a boat. It is believed that he left the city of Tula, the Toltec capital, with an unknown destination, although some believe that he went to Central or South America, passing through Coatzacoalcos. In Zapotec, his name is Niniaš , land of chiggers , or Puersu . The city was called Puerto México from 1907 to 1935.

History

Within the Olmec geographical and cultural area, Coatzacoalcos was considered the capital of the province. At the end of Axayácatl's government, the local population rejected the hosts of the Mexica empire in Cuilonimiquiztlan (Cuilonia, Soteapan municipality). During the Spanish conquest (early 1520), Diego de Ordaz explored and sounded the Coatzacoalcos River in search of gold. On instructions from Cortés, Gonzalo de Sandoval and several captains conquered the city of Coatzacoalcos and founded the town of Espiritu Santo in June 1522, upriver and on the right bank, near Barragantitlan or Paso Nuevo, currently the jurisdiction of the municipality of Ixhuatlán del Southeast.

That test served as a garrison to dominate and pacify the entire province, which became the center of an extensive area that included the southeast of the state of Veracruz, Tabasco and parts of Chiapas, Campeche and Oaxaca. The indigenous congregation was carried out in 1599. In the religious order, it was attached to the bishopric of Oaxaca. During the 16th and 17th centuries it was the head of the mayor's office later transferred to Acayucan because forced labor and diseases depleted the population, to the point that at the beginning of the 18th century the Villa del Espíritu Santo almost disappeared.

Coatzacoalcos Foundation

There are no very clear data about the foundation of Coatzacoalcos, and its settlement is located in the metropolitan territory of the Olmecs. The stories of the ancient peoples of Mexico say that Quetzalcóatl was a character who fled from Tollan-Xicocotitlan in the XII century, approaching a boat made of snakeskin and which, after announcing his return to rule the destinies of his people, was lost at sea. This is precisely what the word Coatzacoalcos means: coatl = 'snake', tzacualli = 'enclosure', and co = 'place' or 'place'.

Hernán Cortés, informed by Gonzalo de Escobar, carried out an expedition, which intended to find a large town full of gold on the island of the river "Guazacualco", which would later be baptized with the name of San Juan de Ulúa.

In 1520, after the capture of Tenochtitlán, Hernán Cortés ordered to populate this region. In his official correspondence with Emperor Carlos V, he pointed out this place as the best natural port that exists on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, where commercial and maritime activities could be carried out. It was for this reason that Cortés sent Captain Gonzalo de Sandoval to found, on Sunday, June 8, 1522, on the banks of the Guazacualco River (name given by the Spanish in Nahuatl Coatzacoalco) the town they called "Villa del Espíritu Santo" (Villa of the Holy Spirit) (since that same day the festival of Pentecost or Easter of the Holy Spirit was celebrated), on the right bank of the Coatzacoalcos River, where Villa Allende is located today.

During colonial times, the bishopric of Coatzacoalcos was established, a royal shipyard, in what is now Minatitlán and a fort for its defense. At this same time, La Villa del Espíritu Santo is named a province, with its capital in Acayucan, and its area of influence includes the territories of San Pedro Xoteapan, Mecayapan, Soconusco, Oluta, Texistepec, Sayula, Benatitlán, Chinameca, Mazapa, Oteapan., Jáltipan de Morelos, Cosoleacaque, Moloacán, Ixhuatlán del Sureste, Nanchital, Huimanguillo, Barra de Coatzacoalcos and Villa del Espíritu Santo.

At the end of 1771, exploration of the isthmus began and the creation of a channel that would unite the two oceans was projected.

Very high-quality salt was extracted, an industry that is still important today, and also precious woods with which some ships were made that were important in past centuries.

The distance from the center, the diseases that arrived from Europe and the harassment of privateers (French, Portuguese and Dutch) caused the few inhabitants of the region to emigrate to safer places such as Ixhuatlán del Sureste, Chinameca, Acayucan, Veracruz and Tabasco.^{[citation required]}

In early 1793, the towns of the region, including Coatzacoalcos, watched in terror and awe as the San Martín volcano erupted in the nearby Sierra de los Tuxtlas. This volcano is currently inactive.^{[citation needed]}

Establishment of the municipality

By decree no. 118 of December 22, 1881, the municipality of Coatzacoalcos was created, with the town of this name as head, and the congregation of Tonalá, segregated from the municipality of Minatitlán. Its first town hall, headed by Ambrosio Solorza, a sea pilot, took office in the last week of January 1882.

By decree no. On July 3, 1900, the town of Coatzacoalcos was elevated to the category of town with the name of Puerto México. In 1906 the Liberal Club «Valentín Gómez Farías», of Magonista affiliation, functioned. By decree no. On July 14, 1911, Puerto México obtained the title of city; and by decree no. On December 8, 1936, its original name of Coatzacoalcos was restored. At present it is one of the most important populations of the state; Its development is largely due to the oil industry and the merchant activity of its high-altitude and coastal port. It is also considered as the Southeast Gate. It registers a stable tourist influx. In Coatzacoalcos the complexes are located: "Cangrejera", "Pajaritos" and "Morelos", the largest petrochemical complexes in the country and one of the largest in Latin America. This industry has led to a significant boom in the town and population growth. The city has all the urban services.

Construction of the port and railways

In 1907, during the presidential term of Porfirio Díaz, the seven piers of the port of Coatzacoalcos were inaugurated, along with the Tehuantepec National Railway.^{[citation required]}

The port works were carried out by the American company S. Pearson and Son Limited, which built the docks with 14 electric cranes and warehouses with pits for access to railroad cars.^{[citation required ]}

With the establishment of the railroad, the boom in interoceanic traffic began, with numerous cargo movements between Puerto México and Salina Cruz. Companies like the Hawai Company and its products (packaged pineapple) were some of those that generated rail traffic in order to move their merchandise to Europe and the Atlantic coasts of the United States.

Geography

Dunes of sand on the beaches of Coatzacoalcos

Coatzacoalcos is surrounded by the oyster lagoon and the Coatzacoalcos and Tonalá rivers, which constitutes the border with Tabasco, and Huazuntlán, to the north of the municipality. The Gulf of Mexico bathes the north of the municipality, and although the city is not separated from the mainland, its main connection to the mainland is the Coatzacoalcos I bridge, which was brought from Germany in 1957 to be inaugurated on March 18, 1962 by former president Adolfo López Mateos and the Coatzacoalcos II bridge officially inaugurated on October 17, 1984 by the president of Mexico, Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado. Its soil is made up mostly of shell sediments, sand, and silt.

Other link roads are the Kilometer 14 bridge, installed on the Old Highway to Minatitlán, which passes through the Minatitlán Airport, and the Calzadas Bridge, on the road that leads to Minatitlán through Las Matas.

In its northwestern end, the urban sprawl is already located some 8 kilometers from the sand bar that connects the Gulf of Mexico with Laguna del Ostión.

Demographics

According to data from the XIV General Population and Housing Census of the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), the city of Coatzacoalcos has a population of 212,540 inhabitants, representing a decrease of 23,443 inhabitants derived from the increase in subdivisions and residential areas on the outskirts of the city. Due to its population, it is the 3rd most populous city in the state of Veracruz, only below the capital Xalapa and the port of Veracruz, while at the national level it is the 77th most populous city in Mexico.

Graphic of demographic evolution of Coatzacoalcos between 1900 and 2020

Population of censuses of the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) from 1900 to 2020.

Chronology of municipal presidents

Flora and fauna

Among the flora that coexists in the area, palm trees, grasslands and mangroves stand out. The latter are more commonly found northwest of the city around the Laguna del Ostión in the Barrillas area.

Due to the variety of ecosystems you can find a great diversity of species, some of the most representative species are manatees, bottlenose dolphins and opossums. We also find wild mammals that include armadillos, squirrels, rabbits, coatis, spider monkeys, and jaguarundis, reptiles such as the poisonous nauyacas snakes and iguanas, and birds such as herons, grackles, doves, and pelicans.

Archaeology

Replica of a pyramid in the trunk.

In January 2008, in the construction of the entrance to the submerged tunnel on the Villa Allende side, they found several pre-Hispanic pieces dating from long before Christ to 1200 AD. C. and belong to various cultures, such as the Olmec, the Mayan, the Teotihuacan and the Totonac, among others. All of this suggests that the region may have been inhabited much earlier than previously thought.^{[citation needed]}

In December 2016, dozens of archaeological remains were found by inhabitants on the land where a new housing complex was being built, to the west of the city of Coatzacoalcos.

On those dates they located more than 20 pieces, among them human figures and vessels that had been removed due to erosion and the construction of houses in that sector.

Gastronomy

Longaniza (left) and Chinameca (right) for sale in a local market.

The typical cuisine of Coatzacoalcos includes meat from Chinameca, canate, armadillo, turtle stews, smoked pejelagarto, pichichi, deer, duck, badger, bobo fish, turtle in its blood, the memelas and the taminilla. The minilla is a dish created in this city by Don Juan Cruz Barceló, a native of Tlacotalpan, who had his restaurant where the entrance to the Paseo de las Escolleras is located today, a dish that became very popular in the region and gave rise to the creation of a tamale native to the city, called taminilla, a tamale stuffed with minilla, with which a record was achieved: the largest taminilla in the world. It also includes a wide variety of fish and shellfish dishes ^{[citation required]}

The gastronomy of the city is a sample of the geographical movements of the area, and many of these dishes come from the surrounding states: the current population is mostly immigrants or first or second generation descendants. An example is the famous tlayudas, a dish originally from Oaxaca, or the chanchamitos, which are small tamales wrapped in corn husks, tied on both sides to form a cylinder, similar to a sweet.^{[citation required]}

Many of the dishes described are typical dishes from Tabasco, which is approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes from downtown Coatzacoalcos. For example, smoked alligator gar and turtle stews in their different preparations.

Sports

	Sports	Competitions	Stadium	Creation
Red Sharks of Veracruz Premier	Football	Second Division of Mexico	Estadio Rafael Hernández Ochoa	2015

Sports facilities

• Baseball Stadium Miguel Alemán
• Gymnasium 20 November
• Parque Recreativo la Alameda
• Bicentennial park in Villa Allende
• Semi-Olympic Public Access Pool
• Stadium of Athletics «Rafael Hernández Ochoa».
• There are currently seven sports courts in different popular Coatzacoalcos colonies to practice football, with carpet grass and with all the services for sportsmen.
• Popular gymnasium of the New Worker colony, which has facilities to perform all kinds of sports activities: gymnastics, boxing, karate, zumba, etc.
• Popular gymnasium of the Teresa Morales colony: with the same services as the previous one.
  

  Stadium Rafael Hernández Ochoa.
  The Coatzacoalcos Fishing Club offers an annual tournament of great importance in basil fishing or tarpon.^{[chuckles]required]}

Football

Throughout its sporting history, the city of Coatzacoalcos has had different soccer teams, such as Atlético Delfines De Coatzacoalcos or Atlético Coatzacoalcos, these being champions of the Second Division of Mexico on several occasions. They currently have a team in the same division but it is a subsidiary of the Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz.

Climate

The climate is classified as «AM» that is, warm with abundant rains in summer. It presents mild temperatures all year round and a winter dry period constantly broken by cold fronts coming from the North American continental mass locally known as "North" and which cause the driest months to be delayed until March and April. Average monthly temperatures have a modest range from 10 to 25 in May. The extremes of heat fluctuate between 26 and 37 °C (some afternoon from April to September), although in recent times, temperatures of up to 40 °C have been presented, and the minimum extremes are between 13 and 18 °C (from December to February). The average rainfall is very high and is close to 3,000 mm per year, with a maximum in September and October.

Average Nanchital climate parameters (9 km south of Coatzacoalcos —20 m. n. m.—)
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. abs. (°C)	38.5	37.5	39.5	43.0	42.0	40.0	39.0	40.0	41.5	39.0	39.5	37.0	43.0
Average temperature (°C)	26.7	27.2	30.5	32.7	34.4	33.1	32.2	32.5	32.1	30.6	29.0	27.9	30.7
Average temperature (°C)	22.6	22.8	25.5	27.3	28.8	28.3	27.7	27.8	27.6	26.4	24.9	23.7	26.1
Temp. medium (°C)	18.5	18.4	20.5	21.9	23.1	23.5	23.2	23.2	23.1	22.1	20.7	19.5	21.5
Temp. min. abs. (°C)	9.5	10.5	11.5	2.0	16.0	18.0	19.0	18.0	19.0	9.5	13.0	10.0	2.0
Total precipitation (mm)	128.2	105.3	48.6	41.2	56.1	225.2	233.6	294.4	473.8	440.6	269.0	262.8	2578.8
Source: National Meteorological Service September 8, 2022

Economy

Petrochemical

The establishment of the petrochemical industry in the port of Coatzacoalcos marked a before and after in the history of the city, since from its establishment the city began to grow demographically due to the prosperity that existed in the area. It is the largest facility of its kind in Latin America, it produces the following chemical compounds: ethylene, polyethylene, ammonia and methanol. It is the main economic activity of the city along with port activities.

Program for the development of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec

Expansion of the Port of Coatzacoalcos

854 million pesos will be invested in the construction of five works; 130 meters of dock, a highway access, a railway access, a railway yard and a construction dredging.

Transisthmic Train

The Transisthmic Train project consists of the restoration of the old railway route that currently connects the cities of Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz and Salina Cruz, Oaxaca with the idea of making it a transportation route (passenger and cargo) and contributing the development of the Tehuantepec isthmus and the modernization of these two important ports. Its objective is to have a logistics platform that integrates the provision of port administration services in the ports of Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz and Salina Cruz, Oaxaca to attract public and private investment with which to finance the construction of the physical, social and production necessary to strengthen the economic base of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec region. To achieve this, the construction of a 300-kilometer double-track electric train is planned to link the ports of Coatzacoalcos and Salina Cruz in just 3 hours, so that shipping companies save time and money when in the shipping channel. Panama takes more than 8 hours to cross with a waiting time of up to 15 days.

The project is an integral part of the Tehuantepec Isthmus Development Program, an instrument that should be conceptualized as a regional development policy with social and economic impacts throughout the south-southeast portion of the country. The interoceanic corridor has an area of 36,112 square kilometers (22,150 in the state of Oaxaca and 13,962 in the state of Veracruz), with a total population of 1,930 inhabitants, according to figures from the 2015 INEGI Intercensal Survey, of which 663 thousand correspond to Oaxaca and 1 million 267 thousand residents of Veracruz (1.6% of the national population).

Culture

Cultural venues

Coatzacoalcos case.

Although there are many places in the city that are considered culturally relevant for the inhabitants, some of the most outstanding are:

• The House of Culture, at the intersection between the seaside and the river.
• The Hemiciclo to the Hero Children, a busy park next to the House of Culture that marks the beginning of the brooms.
• The Pyramid Museum, a small underground museum located under the replica of a pyramid on the coastal swamp, where archaeological findings of pre-Hispanic cultures that inhabited the area are displayed.
• The theater of the city and the convention center, the best known auditoriums of the city.
• The Mutualist Cultural Center, an art gallery and cultural forum in the city centre.
  

  Sneakers in Coatzacoalcos.

Education

The city has several higher education institutions and universities, many of which offer degrees related to the petrochemical industry, the most important in the region. Among them are:

• Veracruzana University
• University of Sotavento
• Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Coatzacoalcos
• Technological University of Southeast Veracruz
• Inter-American University for Development UNID Campus Coatzacoalcos
• National Pedagogical University
• Pearson College

Traditions and festivities

The Carnival of Coatzacoalcos is one of the largest in the country. Previously it was celebrated every year during the Easter holidays. However, in recent years it has not taken place due to lack of resources, with the 2016 carnival being the last one held in the port city. Also during Holy Week it is customary to go to the beach.

Tournament fishing is a local tradition and annually attracts sport anglers from around the state due to the popularity of the tournaments and tempting prizes, such as the Tarpon Fishing Tournament cash prize, which in its 64th edition in 2018 amounted to $100,000.

ExpoCoatza is one of the most important fairs in the region and in the state of Veracruz, where different activities are carried out year after year, but the most representative are the rides and fairground games, the cattle farm and the farm with animals that children can ride and caress, as well as the concerts that take place in the Palenque.

As in other parts of southern Mexico, la rama is celebrated at Christmas, where children decorate a branch and sing rhymes according to the holiday season. Many schools also organize branch contests.

Additionally, the "little houses" used to be traditional in the city during Christmas, these consisted of a cardboard or wooden box inside which images or figures representing the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, the baby Jesus or various animals, which were lit with a candle inside as an allegory of the Christmas nativity scene.

On December 31, "El Viejo" is burned, a doll made by filling old clothes with sawdust and later introducing rockets, which is lit around midnight to say goodbye to the old year that is ending and receive to the new year with a series of explosions and sparks.

Methods of communication

Coatzacoalcos has several means of communication: air, sea and land.

International Airport

Minatitlán International Airport, 15 km from the seaport, provides direct service not only to Minatitlán, but also to Coatzacoalcos and Cosoleacaque. Said airport has, as of August 2006, the category of international airport assigned by the then acting President of Mexico, Vicente Fox, when the state governor was Fidel Herrera Beltrán. It has the capacity to receive flights from both national and international airlines.

Seaport

The exit to the sea of Coatzacoalcos allows maritime communication with other ports both in the country and abroad, allowing access to ships that transport merchandise or chemical products.

Bus station

Andenes at the bus station of Coatzacoalcos

The Central de Autobuses del Puerto de Coatzacoalcos is located south of the city, and provides ground transportation services to a large number of destinations in the southeast and center of the country, in its different services: Intermediate (SUR, AU, TLT, Sotavento, Transportes del Istmo, RS), First Class (ADO/OCC), Executive (ADO GL) and Luxury (ADO PLATINO).

Roads

By land, the highways that connect to the north and south of the country allow the influx of private cars, buses, as well as various cargo vehicles.

Submerged tunnel

This is a tunnel, the first in Mexico and Latin America, since the existing ones are subfluvial, this being the first submerged tunnel. The objective was to unite Coatzacoalcos with the town of Villa Allende, where the petrochemical complexes are located.

Bridges

The Coatzacoalcos River and the Coatzacoalcos I Bridge.

The Coatzacoalcos II Bridge, named «Ing. Antonio Dovalí Jaime» communicates the southern zone of Veracruz with the states of Tabasco, Campeche, Chiapas, Yucatán and Quintana Roo. The Coatzacoalcos I Bridge (no name) is a bridge that is more than 100 years old and has a vertical lifting mechanism. When a ship passes, the center part of the bridge rises thanks to two lifting towers that are 50 meters high. so that ships measuring less than 50 meters can pass, although the bridge has suffered from the passage of time, in January 2012 it was put under repair. The Coatzacoalcos 2 bridge is part of the Tehuacán - Villahermosa highway (federal highway 180) and the Coatzacoalcos II bridge is part of the Mexico-Tuxtla Gutiérrez highway

Roads

Bridge Engineer Jaime Dovalí.

The main avenues of the city are:

• Av. Veracruzana University, also known as Carretera Antigua a Mina, where there are many of the main shopping centers, restaurants and hotels, among other buildings of the modern Coatzacoalcos, which is currently known as the golden area of Coatzacoalcos. And as its current name, on this very avenue you will find a campus of the highest studio house in the state of Veracruz.
• Av. Zaragoza, main avenue of the city center.
• Coatzacoalcos submerged tunnel, via underground communication that connects to the town of Vila Allende (pertenecent to Coatzacoalcos) and the municipal header Coatzacoalcos
• Av. Revolution, one of the longest avenues, and where various private health institutions are located.
• Av. Juarez. famous avenue is the house of the renowned Portuguese poet Oralia Bringas de García.
• Av. Hidalgo. important avenue where the former casino Puerto Mexico was located and is also the old Tubilla hotel.
• Av. Cristóbal Colón that after the Paseo Rivereño becomes Bulevar Manuel Ávila Camacho and culminates in the tourist walk of the scolleras.
• Bulevar John Sparks, which includes the city's maximum tourist walk on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, this avenue changes its name to the Malecón, Juan Álvarez and the Malecón walk, according to its phased construction, the seventh stage is underway. It is also where most hotels in this city are located and where residential houses and departmental towers are built, here you can find all kinds of night entertainment, casinos, restaurants, cinemas and cafes.
• Av. Juan Escutia, known for covering various schools and educational institutions, well known in the region.
• Av Las Palmas, where the offices of Telmex and La Plaza El Palmar are located
• Av. General Anaya Villazón.
• Transistmica highway, main access to the city and communication with the municipality of Minatitlán.
• Av. del Puente o Carretera to Villahermosa. It is one of the most important entrances and ground exits in the city, which allows communication between the southern states.
• Av. Juan Osorio López, where the central truck driver is located, and in the end the recreational park La Alameda.
• La Carretera Ancha, main access to the Recinto port.
• Av. Las Barrillas: from the Higher Technological Institute of Coatzacoalcos to the congregation of Barrillas.
• Av. Zaragoza between old fixer construction that also dates back to the second decade of 1990.

Main buildings

Among the most important architectural works of the city of Coatzacoalcos, the following stand out:

Pemex Petrochemical Smart Building

The building that houses the corporate offices of Pemex Petroquímica is one of the most representative architectural works of the city of Coatzacoalcos. This building is located to the west of the city, on Jacarandas street, next to the Plaza Krystal shopping center.

City Convention Center

The convention center of the city of Coatzacoalcos hosts multiple cultural events ranging from exhibitions, school graduations, workshops and symphony orchestra concerts. It is located on Abraham Zabludovsky avenue.

Municipal Palace

The municipal palace is one of the most iconic landmarks in the city center, built in the 1950s, it features a functionalist architectural style and houses the offices of the mayor and the city council. It is located next to the Independencia park.

Telmex Tower

Telmex Tower in Coatzacoalcos

The Telmex tower houses the offices of said telecommunications company and is also the work center for installers and Telmex providers. It is 30 meters high and is located on Av Miguel Hidalgo 1526.

Building of the judicial power of the federation in Coatzacoalcos

This building houses the offices of the judicial branch of the Coatzacoalcos federation. It is located on Avenida Universidad Veracruzana.

Highlights

• On March 30, 2011, the first "Mexican Congress of the Society of Free Information and Knowledge (CosiT)" was held, an event promoted by the Commission on Science and Technology of the Senate of the Republic that brings together world and national personalities of Free Software and the Information Society.
• On March 24, 2012, the Guinness Record was handed over to the municipality of Coatzacoalcos for the "largest share in the world", during the celebration of the "Carnaval Coatzacoalcos 2012". This compartment, composed of 1686 students from the Higher Technological Institute of Coatzacoalcos, walked in the city's trunk for a journey of more than 3 kilometres to achieve the record.
• From 19 to 22 July the XI CONAJUM was held in the city and Coatzacoalcos, where more than 14 500 young people from all over Mexico and surrounding countries met on the occasion of Catholic celebrations.
• On November 20, 2012, for the first time in the city the parade of the Mexican Revolution was interrupted with the presence of the #YoSoy132 movement demanding the local government benefits for the city.
• From 14 to 30 November 2014 the Central American and Caribbean Games Veracruz 2014, in which Coatzacoalcos was sub-sede some sporting competitions.
• At the end of 2014 the "Plaza Sendero" (today Plaza Acaya) of Grupo Acosta Verde was inaugurated to the west of the city, one of the 26 Sendero Squares in the country.
• On April 20, 2016, an explosion at the Petrochemical Plant "Clorados III" of the Petrochemical Complex "Pajaritos", left a balance of more than 28 deaths and 136 wounded. The causes of the explosion are not yet discovered. This has been one of the biggest disasters in Veracruz, in what has been going on in the last 25 years.
• On April 29, 2017 the first submerged tunnel of the country is opened in the city of Coatzacoalcos that connects with the village of Villa Allende.
• On March 7, 2023 the famous Youtuber Mr.Beast arrives in the city of Coatzacoalcos, performing some joint activity to the company Integra A.C.

Notable people

Hilario Rodríguez Malpica.

• Hilario Rodríguez Malpica, a military member of the Mexican Revolution.
• The actress Salma Hayek, born in this town, named in 2002 at the Oscar of the U.S. Academy, the BAFTA and the Golden Globe awards, for her performance in the film "Frida". Born on 2 September 1966.
• José Antonio González Anaya, current head of the Mexican Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, is a Doctor of Economics at Harvard University.
• Mexican footballer José Rivas, nationally selected to play in Los Tigres UANL of the MX League, born on October 18, 1984.
• The Mexican cardiologist Dr. Sergio Mario Ferez Santander, born on February 11, 1936, who has held high-level positions in Mexican cardiology, among which are the president of the Mexican Society of Cardiology.^{[chuckles]required]}
• María Antonieta Collins Journalist, reporter, radio broadcaster and Mexican writer who works for the Univision international chain.
• Olivia Gorra, soprano. He has shared scenarios with Plácido Domingo, Ramón Vargas, Andrea Bocelli, Rolando Villazón and Fernando de la Mora.[1]

José González Gálvez and Agustín Monsreal

• José González Gálvez. Writer, poet and promoter of the arts in Coatzacoalcos. Director of the literary workshop "Bernal Díaz del Castillo". He has organized and participated in cultural events where characters from the cultural scene have intervened such as: Laura Esquivel, Elena Poniatowska and Baritone Genaro Sulvaran Bernal.
• Carlos Alemán (1976-2010), poet of the city of Coatzacoalcos whose poetic work was the most outstanding of his generation. His posthumous work is entitled In your clear soul with love I enter (2011).

Twinned cities

The city of Coatzacoalcos is twinned with the following cities:

• Rizhao, China (2008).
• San Fernando, Philippines (2003).
• Mobile, United States.
• Salina Cruz, Mexico (2009).
• Heroica Zitácuaro, Mexico (2009).
• Huatulco, Mexico.