Villahermosa

This article is about the capital city of the Mexican state of Tabasco. For other uses, see Villahermosa (disambiguation).
Villahermosa

Seal
Nickname(s): The Emerald of the Southeast
Spanish: La Esmeralda del Sureste

Location of Villahermosa
Coordinates: 17°59′21″N 92°55′41″W / 17.98917°N 92.92806°W / 17.98917; -92.92806
Country Mexico
State Tabasco
Founded 24 June 1564
Government
 • Mayor Manuel de los Santos Bertruy (PRD)
Area
 • City 61.177 km2 (23.62 sq mi)
 • Metro 1,612 km2 (622.4 sq mi)
Elevation 20 m (70 ft)
Population (2010 census)
 • City 640,359
Time zone CST (UTC−6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC−5)
Website www.villahermosa.gob.mx

Villahermosa (Spanish pronunciation: [bi.ʎa.erˈmo.sa], Beautiful Village) is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Tabasco, and the municipal seat of the Centro municipality. Villahermosa reported a population of 658,524 in the 2005 census, whereas its Centro municipality had 558,524 inhabitants. The municipality covers an area of 1,612 km2 (622.4 sq mi). The city is 863 kilometers from Mexico City.

The city

Regional operations center of Pemex.

Tabasco's political powers reside here. It is the main city of the state of Tabasco and is home to the state's largest population. The city is an important business center for the Mexican oil industry. In 2008, the city consisted of 33 colonias and fraccionamientos. Also known as La Esmeralda del Sureste (The Emerald of the Southeast), Villahermosa is a modern city rich in natural resources, in terms of both agriculture and farming. Commercially, the city is served by major merchants, such as Liverpool, Fábricas de Fráncia, Palacio de Hierro, Wal-Mart, City Club (wholesale club), Soriana, Comercial Mexicana, and Home Depot. All the major national banks are represented in the city as well.

History

Main square in the Historic Center

Founded officially on 24 June 1564 by the Spanish Diego de Quijada on the banks of the Grijalva River under the name of Villa Hermosa, in 1826 the village was raised to the rank of city under the name of San Juan Bautista de la Villa Hermosa (Saint John the Baptist). The Republic of Texas Navy captured the city on November 20, 1840, demanding $25,000 in silver.[1][2] The city was captured and occupied by U.S. forces after the battle of Tabasco during the Mexican-American War. During the French intervention in Mexico, French troops occupied the city in 1863. In 1916, the governor of Tabasco, Francisco J. Múgica, ordered the restoration of the city's name to Villahermosa.[3]

Today Villahermosa is a modern city in southeast Mexico and, possibly only after Mérida, Yucatán, it is the most important business and commercial point in the long stretch between Mexico City and Cancún.

Main sights

Olmec Head. La Venta Museum-Park
"Casa de los azulejos", built in 1890 in the Historic centre of Villahermosa, combines Gothic and Moorish styles.

La Venta Museum-Park, which includes a small zoo, has the most important collection of Olmec artifacts.

Other sights include:

Geography and natural resources

Museo de Antropología Carlos Pellicer

Villahermosa is located in the southeast of Mexico between the rivers Grijalva and Carrizal. The average elevation of the city is 10 meters above sea level. The city also has several lagoons, the largest and most important of them being La Laguna de las Ilusiones (Illusions Lagoon).

The most important city thoroughfares are Paseo Tabasco, Gregorio Méndez Avenue, the Periférico, Ruiz Cortines Avenue, and Pino Suárez Avenue.

Climate

Like most of Tabasco, Villahermosa has a tropical monsoon climate. Temperatures during spring and summer seasons reach upwards of 40°C (104 °F), with humidity levels hovering around 30% during the same period (for total humidity-adjusted temperatures in the high forties). During its short "winter", Villahermosa's climate is very humid but daytime temperatures decrease to around 28°C (82 °F).

The most stunning season of the year is spring, as the flamboyán, guayacán, macuilis, and other tropical vegetation bloom and dress the city with a beautiful sense of joy along its major thoroughfares.

In October 2007, Villahermosa suffered its worst flood in recorded history. Several hundred thousand people were displaced because of flooded homes.

Climate data for Villahermosa (1951–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 38.0
(100.4)		 38.0
(100.4)		 41.5
(106.7)		 43.1
(109.6)		 43.5
(110.3)		 41.7
(107.1)		 40.0
(104)		 40.0
(104)		 38.5
(101.3)		 37.5
(99.5)		 38.0
(100.4)		 35.5
(95.9)		 43.5
(110.3)
Average high °C (°F) 27.9
(82.2)		 29.2
(84.6)		 31.9
(89.4)		 33.9
(93)		 35.1
(95.2)		 34.4
(93.9)		 33.9
(93)		 34.0
(93.2)		 33.0
(91.4)		 31.2
(88.2)		 29.8
(85.6)		 28.3
(82.9)		 31.9
(89.4)
Daily mean °C (°F) 23.6
(74.5)		 24.5
(76.1)		 26.6
(79.9)		 28.5
(83.3)		 29.6
(85.3)		 29.3
(84.7)		 28.9
(84)		 28.9
(84)		 28.4
(83.1)		 27.1
(80.8)		 25.7
(78.3)		 24.1
(75.4)		 27.1
(80.8)
Average low °C (°F) 19.3
(66.7)		 19.7
(67.5)		 21.3
(70.3)		 23.1
(73.6)		 24.2
(75.6)		 24.2
(75.6)		 23.8
(74.8)		 23.8
(74.8)		 23.8
(74.8)		 23.0
(73.4)		 21.5
(70.7)		 19.9
(67.8)		 22.3
(72.1)
Record low °C (°F) 10.5
(50.9)		 12.4
(54.3)		 13.0
(55.4)		 15.0
(59)		 13.0
(55.4)		 19.0
(66.2)		 20.0
(68)		 20.0
(68)		 19.5
(67.1)		 17.0
(62.6)		 14.0
(57.2)		 10.9
(51.6)		 10.5
(50.9)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 125.6
(4.945)		 79.0
(3.11)		 50.1
(1.972)		 44.6
(1.756)		 95.9
(3.776)		 208.5
(8.209)		 178.9
(7.043)		 216.8
(8.535)		 328.2
(12.921)		 299.9
(11.807)		 187.2
(7.37)		 145.0
(5.709)		 1,959.7
(77.154)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm) 11.1 8.5 5.8 4.2 5.9 13.9 14.5 15.7 18.3 16.2 11.3 11.0 136.4
Average relative humidity (%) 76 75 73 73 71 72 72 75 77 79 81 81 75
Mean monthly sunshine hours 168 185 252 215 278 217 252 245 167 150 170 144 2,443
Source #1: Servicio Meteorológico National (humidity 1981–2000)[4][5][6]
Source #2: Deutscher Wetterdienst (sun, 1961–1990)[7][lower-alpha 1]

Transportation

The city is served by several national air carriers as well as by a direct international flights to Houston via United Express and Panama City via Copa Airlines. Its airport, the Carlos Rovirosa Pérez International Airport, is operated by Aeropuertos del Sureste de Mexico (ASUR) and has recently seen a significant expansion. This airport was the destination for the 1929 Mexicana inaugural flight. The city is the closest destination to the ancient Mayan ruins at Palenque. Airlines providing flights to/from the airport are: Aeromexico, Interjet, United, VivaAerobus, and previously by the defunct Mexicana de Aviación. U.S.Airways now flies in there too.

Education

Narciso Saenz street, in the Historic centre of Villahermosa.
Cathedral of Villahermosa.

The city has an extensive network of elementary, secondary, and college-preparatory educational centers.

It is also home to the most important universities of the state of Tabasco, among them:

Religion

Like the rest of the Mexican Republic, Tabasco's population is mostly Catholic, with many Protestant denominations also represented.

Health

The city is served by a large number of both private and public healthcare institutions, hospitals, and clinics. Both ambulatory (same-day) centers as well as extended stay centers serve the city. General as well as specialized hospitals provide care in the city. Amongst its specialized health care institutions are a Women's Hospital, a Children's Hospital, and an Oncology Hospital. There are also various government healthcare institutions located here, including the ISSTE and the IMSS Medical Centers. The Seventh-day Adventist Church has a hospital here as well, Hospital del Sureste. There is also the well-respected Hospital Los Angeles.

Twin towns

Villahermosa has two sister cities. They are:

References

  1. ↑ The Texas Navy Association
  2. ↑ The Handbook of Texas Online [Texas State Historical Association]
  3. ↑ Enciclopedia de Municipios de México, [Tabasco - Centro]
  4. ↑ "Estado de Tabasco–Estacion: Villahermosa (DGE)". NORMALES CLIMATOLÓGICAS 1951–2010 (in Spanish). Servicio Meteorológico National. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  5. ↑ "Extreme Temperatures and Precipitation for Villahermosa (DGE) 1949–2011" (in Spanish). Servicio Meteorológico Nacional. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  6. ↑ "NORMALES CLIMATOLÓGICAS 1981–2000" (PDF) (in Spanish). Servicio Meteorológico Nacional. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  7. ↑ "Station 76743 Villahermosa, TAB.". Global station data 1961–1990—Sunshine Duration. Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 7 May 2015.

Notes

  1. ↑ Station ID for Villahermosa, TAB. is 76743 Use this station ID to locate the sunshine duration

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Villahermosa (Tabasco).
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Villahermosa.

Further reading

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