3 Best Sights in Xalapa, Veracruz

Xalapa's Museo de Antropología is second only to the archaeological museum in Mexico City. Its collection of artifacts covers the three main pre-Hispanic cultures of Veracruz: Huasteca, Totonac, and most important, Olmec. It's filled with magnificent Olmec stone heads, carved stelae and offering bowls, terra-cotta jaguars and cross-eyed gods, and cremation urns in the form of bats and monkeys. Especially touching are the life-size sculptures of women who died in childbirth (the ancients elevated them to the status of goddesses). Written explanations appear only in Spanish, but bilingual guides are available. The museum is about 3 km (2 mi) north of Parque Juárez.

The city's contemporary-art museum, Galeria de Arte Contemporáneo de Xalapa, housed in a restored colonial-era building, has temporary exhibits, primarily with paintings, by regional artists. There are also frequent evening theater, dance, and films events. Many of these are free and advertised on the Web site as well as in the gallery's monthly schedule that you can pick up at the gallery.

The gorgeous central square, called Parque Juárez, has the neoclassical Palacio de Gobierno on one side and the neocolonial Palacio Municipal on another. At first glance Parque Juárez seems like any park, but a café and art galleries reside below. Between the palaces is the Catedral de Xalapa, dating from 1772. If it looks a little crooked from the outside, wait until you step inside. A chapel juts out at an odd angle, making the whole place seem askew.