Things to do in José Cardel: Where Cortés landed: ruins, rivers and dunes by the sea

Why visit José Cardel

José Cardel is a sugar-mill town at the junction of the Gulf coast highway and the road inland to Xalapa, about 30 km north of the port of Veracruz. Around it lies some of the oldest history in the Americas. In La Antigua, a few minutes south, the 1523 stone house linked to Hernán Cortés is held together by strangler-fig roots. Next to it stands the Ermita del Rosario, often called the first church on the mainland. Cempoala, the Totonac capital where Cortés found his first allies, is a short colectivo ride north. Farther up the coast, Quiahuiztlán's miniature temple-tombs look out over the sea.

Foreign visitors usually rush from Veracruz port straight to Mexico City and miss all of this. Mexican families know the area for Sunday seafood lunches on the Huitzilapan river and boat rides under La Antigua's suspension bridge. They also come for the Chachalacas dunes, more than 500 hectares of sand where people sandboard and ride ATVs just behind the beach. With Cardel as your base, you can see all of it cheaply by bus and colectivo.

Do it like a local

What Mexican travellers do in José Cardel, from forums, local guides and people who live there.

• On weekends, local families combine a boat ride under La Antigua's suspension bridge with a long seafood lunch by the river. One restaurant runs a weekend buffet.
• Chachalacas is a laid-back, very local beach town. Families come for the calm sea and spend the afternoon sliding down the dunes.
• Tripadvisor reviewers advise seeing Cempoala first while it's cool, then heading to La Antigua for lunch, because that's where the restaurants are.
• Budget travellers say you can do Cempoala and Quiahuiztlán in one day by bus and colectivo for under USD 20, against USD 70 or more for organised tours.

What to eat in José Cardel

• Arroz a la tumbada: Veracruz's soupy tomato rice comes packed with shrimp, crab and fish; Las Delicias Marinas in La Antigua is a well-reviewed place to try it.
• Pescado a la veracruzana: Fresh Gulf fish is cooked in a sauce of tomato, olives, capers and mild chiles, the region's best-known dish.
• Acamayas: These big freshwater prawns from the local rivers are served at riverside restaurants al mojo de ajo, enchipotladas or grilled.
• Mojarra frita: Whole fried tilapia-style fish, often with garlic, is the default order under the palapas of Chachalacas.