Tabasco
Tabasco is considered the birth place of cacao, the seed that transformed the world with chocolate. Traveling here is a delicious and aromatic adventure where you will also find archeological sites, ancient haciendas, and lakes and beaches of great beauty where the Mayans created their empire.
The state is made up of 17 municipalities and is approximately 24,475 km2. The major cities in Tabasco are Tenosique and the capital, Villahermosa. The economy of Tabasco is based mainly on agriculture, fishing and tourism.
Tabasco has an enormous amount of cultural offerings including many archeological zones and the historical legacy of the Maya and Olmeca cultures.
The capital of the state, Villahermosa, “Esmeralda del Sureste” (Emerald of the Southeast), is a modern city that is known for combining the greatness of its pre-Hispanic roots with the colonial infrastructure and vanguard architecture characterized in its Historical Center.
Some of the attractions and unforgettable sites in Villahermosa include: Museo Poema de La Venta Park, Tomás Garrido Caníbal Park, Mirador de las Águilas, Avenida Paseo Tabasco, Señor de Tabasco Catedral, Plaza de Armas, the Government Palace, Iglesia de la Concepción (la Conchita), Casa de los Azulejos, Zona Luz, and Anador de la Laguna de las Ilusiones. 15 kilometers outside of the city, you’ll find the Yumká Ecological Park where you can experience nature and the fauna of the region.
Another place of interest is the Malecón Tourist Corridor with a huge variety of restaurants, bars and discos where you can enjoy fun nights in the city.
The cities, towns, tours and tourist attractions of the state are varied. Tabasco offers activities, beautiful landscapes, culture and an endless supply of entertainment options. Some of these magical options include: Nacajuca, Jalpa de Méndez, Cupilco, Comalcalco, Haciendas Cacaoteras, Paraíso, Nueva Esperanza, San Juanito, Centla, Playas, Pico de Oro, Playa Azul, Jonutla, Miramar, El Bosque, Punta Manglar Ecotourism Development, Balancán, the Reforma archeological zone, Cascadas de Reforma Ecological Reserve, José Gómez Pánico Museum, Pomoná archeological zone, Malecón, Nueva Esperanza Lake, Río Usumacinta Canyon, Danza del Pocho, Tapijulapa, Agua Blanca State Park, Macuspana, Grutas de Ixta-Já and the Oxolatán Museum and
ex-Convent.
The culture of Tabasco is based on hundreds of years of the most advanced pre-Columbian civilizations and the culture shock to the states in the Gulf of Mexico upon the arrival of the Spanish. This can all be studied in the museum and archeological zones of the state: Carlos Pellicer Cámara Regional Anthropology Museum, Carlos Pellicer Cámara House Museum, Popular Culture Museum, Ángel E. Gil Hermida Museum, Tabasco History Museum “Casa de los Azulejos”, Dr. José Gómez Panaco Archeological Museum, Professor Omar Huerta Archeological Museum, and José Narciso Rovirosa Natural History Museum. The Pochó Dance is one of the most important artistic representations in Tabasco. This dance represents the hunt, capture, death and resurrection of the tiger.
The cuisine of the state is varied. One fish in particular is emphasized in many different dishes: the pejelagarto. Some other delicious foods of Tabasco are: butifarra (sausage), totopostes, pejelagarto empanadas, torreja de plátano verde (green banana torreja), chaya torta, tortílla de plátano (banana tortilla), yuca en naranja (yuca in orange sauce), chanchamito de cerdo (pork tamale), chipilín tamales, platillos, plátanos rellenos (stuffed bananas), estofado de gallina (hen stew), sisguá, chicken fricases, bean tamales with momo (an herb), frijoles negros con carne salada and chaya (black bean and pork dish), mone de cerdo, mojarra soup with momo, mondongo en verde (a menudo dish), carne salada con plátano and chaya (a pork dish), frijoles pelones con cerdo (pork and bean dish), mone de bobo, candy and drinks made from milk and cinnamon, atole de masa y leche (a drink made from masa and milk), coconut candy, zapote candy, oat cake, and yuca tortilla.
Although Tabasco is small in size, it has incredible beauty and culture.