Tampico

Ex Aduana to Las Escolleras, with crabs and crocodiles on the way

A Tampico weekend begins downtown at the Plaza de Armas and its late-19th-century neoclassical Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, with café tables along the south side. A block away, look up at the iron balconies of the Plaza de la Libertad, then visit the Ex Aduana Marítima, the old customs house, now a port-history museum open Wednesday to Sunday.

Lunch is easy: the torta stalls around the Ex Aduana are the classic place for a torta de la barda.

Saturday afternoon. Take a taxi to the Laguna del Carpintero, the city's central park, and look for crocodiles basking on the banks. From the north side of the Canal de la Cortadura, at the end of 2 de Enero street, a 40-minute boat tour runs among the mangroves and wildlife. If you have time, the Museo de la Cultura Huasteca holds around 1,800 archaeological and ethnographic pieces from the Huastec people of the Gulf lowlands.

Sunday. Ride a Tampico-Playa carro de ruta to Playa Miramar in Ciudad Madero. Walk the long sand to the Escolleras, the jetty at the mouth of the Pánuco, and its memorial to the merchant seamen lost in 1942, the sinkings that pushed Mexico into the Second World War. The lighthouse stands nearby. Expect raccoons begging for snacks from beach vendors. Stay for a seafood dinner at one of the palapa restaurants on the sand.

Jaibas rellenas, zacahuil and the overloaded torta de la barda

Crab is close to obligatory in Tampico, whose people call themselves jaibas. The classic is jaibas rellenas, blue-crab meat cooked with tomato, onion and chile, packed back into the shell, crumbed and baked; salpicón de jaiba, shredded crab sautéed with vegetables, appears at breakfast too, and cocktails and ceviches are everywhere.

The street-food legend is the torta de la barda, a soft roll loaded with a dozen or more fillings, from chicharrón and cheese to avocado, beans and several cold meats. The name is usually traced to a wall (barda) near the old docks, where the first stall stood. The cluster of torta stands near the Ex Aduana is where to try one; Tortas René has been doing them since 1928.

Two dishes carry the city's name further afield. Carne asada a la tampiqueña is a thin grilled steak served with enchiladas, refried beans, rajas and guacamole, a combination now found on menus across Mexico. Tampico's entomatadas are tortillas bathed in tomato sauce with cheese. From the Huasteca hinterland comes zacahuil, a giant tamal of coarse masa and pork, wrapped in banana leaves and baked in a wood oven, sold by the portion at weekend markets.

For variety at low cost, the Mercado Municipal just south of the Plaza de la Libertad has dozens of food counters.

Hurricane months, nortes and the Huasteca Potosina beyond Tampico

Spring, March to May, is the best time for Tampico: fairly dry, with highs from 27C to 32C and a warming sea. Winter is warm by northern standards but can bring windy nortes, while June to October is hot, humid and wet, peaking at about 300 mm in September, the height of hurricane season.

The busiest week of the year is Semana Santa, when families from Monterrey and the rest of the north descend on Playa Miramar. Summer holidays in July and August bring a second wave of beach traffic.

Tampico is also the Gulf gateway to the Huasteca Potosina, the jungle-covered region of turquoise rivers and waterfalls in neighbouring San Luis Potosí. Ciudad Valles, the hub for the Tamul and Micos waterfalls, is about two and a half hours inland, and Xilitla, with the surrealist garden of Edward James, is further on; both deserve an overnight stay. The rivers run clearest in the dry months from November to May. Closer to home, the oil field at Ébano, where Mexico's first well was drilled in 1901, lies west along the road to Ciudad Valles.