Catemaco

Catemaco fills a volcanic basin in the Sierra de los Tuxtlas, the northernmost patch of tropical rainforest in the Americas, and the setting does most of the work: a wide lake ringed by green volcanic cones, with islands, herons and thunderstorms building over the water most afternoons in summer. Boats run the standard circuit from the malecon - the Isla de los Monos, where a colony of macaques introduced for research decades ago now lives and greets launches, the Isla de las Garzas with its heron roosts, the spring at Coyame and the Nanciyaga reserve on the north shore, an eco-park of mud baths, mineral springs, temazcal and jungle walks that also served as a film location. The town's other reputation is esoteric: Catemaco is nationally famous for its brujos and curanderos, whose consulting rooms line the roads and who gather each March for a ceremony that draws practitioners and the curious from far away. Lakeside kitchens serve the local speciality, tegogolo snails, along with mojarra and prawns.

History

The name comes from Nahuatl and is often explained as "place of the burned houses", after an eruption of the San Martín volcano, though linguists doubt that reading. From the 16th century the area belonged to the province of Santiago Tuxtla; the town itself was founded in 1774, became an official town in 1881 and a city in 1966 (Wikipedia, Catemaco).

Highlights

• The lake and cones - volcanic hills around open water.
• The monkey island - the macaque colony on its islet.
• Nanciyaga - mud baths, springs and jungle boardwalks.
• The healers' trade - consulting rooms and the March gathering.

When to go

November to May for drier weather; the healers' gathering falls in early March. Summer brings heat, rain and greener forest.

Practical notes

The macaques are habituated and can be aggressive around food - keep bags closed and hands empty. Boatmen sell circuits hard on the malecon; agree the route and price first. The esoteric trade ranges from serious tradition to outright tourist theatre.

Nearby

Salto de Eyipantla's waterfall is half an hour away; the Tuxtlas reserve and the Gulf beaches at Montepio lie north.