Catemaco neighbor

Catemaco is actually a suburb of the neigh-boring city of San Andres Tuxtla. Much of the Catemaco countryside and many of its major businesses are owned by people from San Andres.

There is an unsubstantiated but plausible rumor that the power structure in that city actively discourages development of Catemaco. That becomes apparent to any Catemaco resident who has to make the 1/2 hour trek to the no parking zone of San Andres for anything beyond minimum subsistence needs, whether it is food, healthcare or banking.

Take a better look at that envious neighbor:

San Andres Tuxtla by catemaco.info

Laguna Sontecomapan

The freshwater lagoon of Sontecomapan is a hidden paradise half an hour away from beautiful downtown Catemaco. It deserves its own internet page. And here it is:

More to see: Laguna Sontecomapan

Mayas to the Rescue

The main despoilation of walkways in Catemaco is bird droppings. Chewing gum platelets are the second most common blemishes. Both are horrendous to clean up.

So now come the originators of chewing gum to the rescue: 
"A cooperative of over 50 Mayan communities in Mexico´s Yucatán Peninsula, where Sapodilla trees have been tapped for their sticky latex since before the Spanish conquest, will start selling biodegradable chewing gum in British stores this month.


Unlike common chewing gum made of synthetic rubber, which can take years to break down, the cooperative´s "Chicza" brand is made from chicle, a natural substance that degrades quickly, ... the cooperative´s director, told Reuters.

"Chewing gum made from synthetic polymers sticks easily to asphalt because both contain similar polymers".

I will be investigating if the local Popolucas have a recipe for easily removing bird shit.  At present, my own Popoluca is threatening to exterminate the darling birds, at least from in front of our house, in beautiful downtown Catemaco..

Source: The News - which does NOT retain its news items.

Offroad Catemaco

68 adventurous souls rode off to conquer the roadless  beaches, hills and valleys of the northern Tuxtlas from Coatzacoalcos to Catemaco. The weather is so bad, I wouldn't let my proverbial dog out. Let's see how many actually make it in this 10th annual event.

Photo: Catemaco Moto Extreme

Catemaco Road Signs

A curious aspect of road signage in Catemaco and possibly the rest of  Veracruz, Mexico is the proliferation of directional road signs. They are usually placed where noone would either need or heed them, and are apparently placed at the whim of a political contributor to the local governor, or often, by someone who believes in mind reading.

A left turn arrow will usually direct you to a dirt road  that in retrospect was not where you wanted to go. The sign you read, usually presumes that you know where there is an actual turnoff, usually a block or a road further on. If you have traveled in Mexico, I am sure that you took many right turns into corn patches before your intended road.

While traveling in the US, I frequently shot photos of my companions, usually my kds, crossing a state line.

Here in Los Tuxtlas, there are giant signs across the highway placed wherever someone decided to anounce something like:  "Bienvenidos a Catemaco".  The reverse side usually says something like "Thanks for visiting Catemaco"  in Spanish.

A few miles further on you will find the same sign for the next municipio (county/city). Apparently the area between these signs is a no man's land inhabited by illiterate savages.

The concept of county line, apparently, is a nonsequitur in  Spanish. Or more probably signage is a political award to fund some creative enterprises in doubling expenses..

Photo is of a neighboring county's sign after a rainstorm

The North Tuxtlas Coast

A little more than one hour from beautiful downtown Catemaco are some beaches that may never have been seen by a gringo, unless he was a shipwrecked sailor.

Take a ride with us through the area