San Andrés Tuxtla

**San Andrés Tuxtla** is a ceety is the sooth o the Mexican state o Veracruz. The ceety is the lairgest in the Los Tuxtlas region. It wis foondit efter an eruption o the San Martín Volcano poussed fowk intae this glen in the early colonial period. Syne the 19t hunderyear, the aurie haes been the centre o Mexico’s production o fine tobacco, maistly uised in the makkin o cigars. The best kent cigar producer here, Te Amo, is considered tae be ane o the best buists in the warld.

## The ceety
The ceety o San Andrés Tuxtla is the lairgest ceety in the municipality o the same Name an in the hale Los Tuxtlas regions. It is locatit in a smaw glen wi the San Martín Volcano touerin abuin it.

The ceety is centred on a square cried Parque Lerdo, that haes a circular kiosk in the centre.  Ivery Sunday the ceety sponsors cultural events lik airt exhibitions an tradeetional muisic an dance, lik fandango an zapateado dance. Hintle o this reflects Afro-Mexican influence.

The main structur is the Cathedral o Saunt Joseph an Saunt Andra, biggit in 1870 wi sleek bell touers an a sober facade wi Neoclessical influence.  The patron saunt o the ceety is Saunt Andra, that is celebrate on the 29t an 30t November. On the 29t, the main event is the rinnin a bull figur made o reeds wi the local young fowk. This is follaeed bi a parade o mojigangas, lairge figurs o hollae cartonería on a frame, worn on the shoulders o a dancer.  Thir figurs wis brocht tae the aurie bi the Spainyie an ower time hae been modifee'd tae a unique Tuxtla style. On the 30t, thare is mass an a procession wi a lairge image o the saunt pulled bi tractor an surroondit bi mojigangas. Thare are releases o sky lanterns an aw. Anither important annual event is Las Ramas on 16 Dizember, that begins Las Posadas, a teep o carolin event cairryin branches.

The main museum is the Regional Museum o San Andrés Tuxtla, that conteens objects frae the region, mony o whilk wis donatit bi residents. It wis opened in 2008, an featurs airtifacts frae is pre Hispanic history as far back as the Olmecs an the development o the tobacco industry, enspecially in the 19t hunderyear. Ane important piece is a crucifee'd Christ image cried El Señor de Matacapan, whase pieces wis foond in Matacapan an reconstruct bi the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia.

The Casa de Cultura is on Hernandez y Hernandez Street an haud cultural events maistly attendit bi ceety residents. It haes a collection o pre Hispanic airtifacts an aw.

The ceety haes a nummer o auld hooses wi gardens an patios frae the ceety’s heyday an Parque Chichipilco is popular wi faimilies an hauld cultural events.

La Maquina Vieja is a auld industrial structur datin frae 1840, locatit juist ootby fae the ceety.

## The municipality
The ceety o San Andrés Tuxtla is the local govrenment for 261 commonties, whilk thegither stend ower a aurie o 957.2km2. It borders the municipalities o Santiago Tuxtla, Ángel R. Cabada, Catemaco, Hueyapan de Ocampo an Isla, stendin tae the Gulf o Mexico norlins an eastlins. Five o the commonties are considered urban an the rest is landwart. Ootby fae the seat, the lairgest commonties are Comoapan (pop. 5,009), Salto de Eyipantla (4,011), Calería (3,910) an Sihuapan (3,767). Oweraw, the population density is 164.4 fowk per square km, an a estimatit indigenous population o 1,770, wi 694 o thaim speakin a indigenous leid. The municipal govrenment consists o a municipal preses, a syndic an eleiven representatives for the commonties.
Thare are 416 schuils, maist o whilk sers preschuil an primar schuil students. Thare are heich schuils, vocational schuils twa varsity level schuils an adult eddication. The Instituto Tecnológico Superior de San Andrés Tuxtla wis foondit in 1983 wi three majors.  Thir days, it affers aicht, maistly in ingineerin an computers. The illeeteracy rate is 19.8 percent.

Maist o the cigar makkin establishments are in the Matacapan aurie, atween the ceeties o San Andres Tuxtla an Catemaco aff Heich-gate 180. The aurie is dottit wi lairge hoose-lik structur in whilk tobacco is cured.

The coastline haes a nummer o beaches which are promotit unner the name o Costa de Oro, alang wi Puerto de Balzapote, a fishin veelage.

## Socioeconomics

The municipality is classifeed as haein a middlin level o socioeconomic marginalization, wi 70.9% livin in poverty an 22.6% livin in extreme poverty. Agricultur employs 32.6% o the wirkin population, wi 18.5% wirkin in industry an 48.4% in commerce an services.

Main crops bi volume are corn, mango an tobacco. Maist livestock is cattle, follaeed bi domestic foul, pigs an goats. Traditional dishes are based on local agricultur an include frijoles con chonegui, Puerco al acuyo, tamals, momogo, chochogo, chagalapoli, ilama an malaga.

San Andrés Tuxtla is best kent for the production o tobacco an cigars an cigarettes wi thair cigars considered the best in Mexico, an Winston Churchill is said tae hae favored cigars frae the aurie. The aurie’s tobacco history began in the 19t hunderyear when Cuban an German immigrants decidit that thay coud grow fine tobacco an mak cigars here for export tae Europe. The day, the aurie produces some o the finest cigars in the warld. Aw steps frae the growin o tobacco, tae curin tae wrappin are aw duin in the municipality wi San Andres’s ain experts tae assur quality. Torcedors, or thaim that creaut the cigars frae cured tobacco leaves, apprentice for twa years. Mony faimilies hae wirkit in the industry for generations, wi bairns learnin the wirk as bairns in faimily wirkshops that mak baith cigars an cigarettes.

The best kent local producer o cigars is Te Amo in Sihuapan, rankit as amang the best cigar producers in the warld. The enterprise employs an average o 350 fowk awtho times o peak demand can raise this nummer tae 1,200. Te Amo an ither producers hae lairge “hooses” in which tobacco leaves are dree'd an fermentit uisin firefirth an steam ower a course o fifteen day. The dree'd an fermentit leaves are rehydratit for deveinin an rollin. Efter this, the cigars are stored for ane or twa year afore gaun tae mercat. The flavor o the cigar depends on the selectit leafs. Te Amo produces five kins o cigars that vary in diameter an lenth.

Ither notable tobacco producers include Matacapan, Sihuapan, La Constancia an El Salto.

156.5&nbsp;km o main heich-gate, maistly state-maintained roads. The main heich-gate throu the aurie is Federal Heich-gate 180.

## Geografie an environs

The municipality is locatit in the sooth o Veracruz in the San Martin Moontain Range in the Los Tuxtlas region. It haes ruggit terrain o volcanic oreegin that extends tae the Gulf o Mexico an a average altitude o 300 metre abuin sea level. The main elevations is San Martín, Mastagaga, Vigía an El Chilar. Thare coves at Roca Partida, De la Encantas, the Cerro del Borrego an Arrecife de la Poza.

Alang the Gulf shore thare beaches lik Salinas Roca Partida, Toro Prieto, Arroyo de Lisa, Costa de Oro, Playa Hermosa, Los Organos, Dos de Abril, Monte Pio an Balzapote (that is a fishin port an aw). Thare clints at Roca Partida.

Maist o the naitural vegetation o the aurie haes been destroyed wi 410.1km2 uised for agricultur, 398.3km2 for pastur an 7.2km2 is urban. Aboot 36km2 contains seicontar vegetation anerly 10.8% is forest an 94.1km2 is rainforest. The soil is poor in nutrients an is susceptible tae erosion. Despite this, hintle o the municipality is pairt o the seicont maist important biosphere reserve in Mexico, the San Andres Tuxtla Reserve. The remainin dominant naitural foliage is maistly heich perennial rainforest, wi dunes an seicontar vegetation near the coast.

Wildlife consists o armadillos, rabbits, opossums, skunks an anteaters.

Maist o the municipality’s surface watter is in the San Andrés River, streams lik the Sihuapan an San Juan an various smaw lochs. Laguna Encantada (Enchantit Loch) is a isolatit loch, aff the highway atween the ceety an Sontecomapan in the neebourin Catemaco municipality. The road disnae reak the loch, sae it is necessar tae walk aboot a kilometre ower a rise. The name comes frae the fact that its watter level rises in the dry saison an lawers in the rainy sauson. Its circumference is 1,500 metre. Ither lochs include De Cuyapan, De Tizatal, Los Manantiales, Delicia an Carrizal.

On the San Andrés River is the Eyipantla Faws, locate twal km frae the municipal seat. The name comes frae Nahuatl an means “three furraes o watter.” Legend haes it that Tlaloc, Aztec god o rain, govrened the Los Tuxtlas aurie an the watterfaw wis his hame. The faws are pairt o the San Andres River, that drains Lake Catemaco on its wey tae the Gulf o Mexico. The faws itsel is fowerty metre wide an fifty metre heich. It is popular wi tourists, tae strynd 400 stairs tae the fuit o the faws. At the tap o the faws, thare is a leukoot pynt that gies view o the surroondin muntains alang wi the faws. The entrance tae the faws is croudit wi restaurants an tourist shops. Anither important watterfaw in the municipality is Los Organos, locatit atween Playa Hermosa an Costa de Oro. Ither watterfaws include Del Río Revolución, Salto Maquina Vieja an Tres Chorros.

The climate o the municipality varies dependin on location. It is wairm in aw pairts but the amoont o rain varies tae auries wi maist rain in the simmer tae thaim that receive abundant rainfaw year roond. Average annual temperatur varies frae 18 tae 28C an average annual rainfaw varies frae 1,100 tae 4,600mm.

## History

The name “Tuxtla” is derivit frae Nahuatl an means “place o the rabbit.” San Andrés refers tae the patron saunt, Saunt Andra.

In the 16t hunderyear, the aurie belangit the Santiago Tuxtla province. In 1530 thare wis an eruption o the San Martín Volcano, whilk promptit the muivement o fowk frae Ixtlán tae wha is nou the ceety o San Andrés Tuxtla, then cried Tuzacoalco (laund atween the muntains). The dounset wis recognsit in 1580 bi the heid o the Tlacotalpan, Tuztla an Cotaxtla region.

Its tobacco history began in 1830 whan a slow influx o Cubans an Europeans made thair wey here an decidit that the climate wis apt for the growin o fine tobacco. The day, the aurie produces some o the finest cigars in the warld.  Juist prior tae the Mexican Revolution the industry experiencit strikes bi wirkers, wi the first occurrin at the El Destino factory in 1896.

The municipality wis defined in 1825 an in 1826 the ceety wis declared its seat.  In 1830 the seat wis declared a toun, an in 1893 a ceety.

In 1932, the ceety an municipality’s name wis chyngit tae Los Tuxtlas, but this wis chyngit back tae San Andrés Tuxtla in 1938.

## References