June 2022. Although I have been in Mexico before, the last time was in 1994-1995. Twenty-seven years later, Oriol and I are doing a classic tour of the United Mexican States, featuring Mexico City (CDMX); Palenque in Chiapas; Villahermosa in Tabasco; Uxmal, Mérida, Chichen Itza, Ek’ Balam, Valladolid,  and a few cenotes (waterholes) in Yucatán and Tulum in Quintana Roo. We returned via Cancún to CDMX and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

We travelled to Villahermosa because of Palenque. Villahermosa, Spanish for ‘Beautiful Town’, is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Tabasco. Located in Southeast Mexico, Villahermosa is an important city because of its cultural history, natural resources, commercial development, and modern industrialization. 

It changed named a few times. Coined ‘La Esmeralda del Sureste‘ (‘The Emerald of the Southeast’), Villahermosa is a modern city with a rich history dating back to the early 1500s. Its natural resources like cacao, sugarcane, bananas, tobacco, rice, and hardwoods has made Villahermosa attractive to domestic investors.

The city has become a hub for oil and gas operations in Southern Mexico and is referred to as the ‘Energy City of Mexico’. 

A visit

After visiting Palenque, the driver dropped us off in the city center. We walked around to witness a relaxed, non-touristy atmosphere. We didn’t really stop at landmarks, but just had a stroll.

Villahermosa is not usually added to must-visit lists. Our stop here was purely functional. And once the highly controversial Tren Maya will be there, you will not need to. 

Mexico 2022

1. REVIEW | KLM Amsterdam Schiphol to Mexico City on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in economy.
2. MEXICO CITY | Zócalo.
3. MEXICO CITY | Templo Mayor.
4. REVIEW | Hotel Carlota in Mexico City.
5. MEXICO | Teotihuacan.
6. MEXICO CITY | National Museum of Anthropology or Museo Nacional de Antropología.
7. FORMULA 1 MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX | Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
8. MEXICO CITY | Museo Nacional de Historia at Castillo de Chapultepec.
9. MEXICO CITY | Frida Kahlo Museum.
10. MEXICO CITY | Coyoacán.
11. Mexico City 2022.
12. REVIEW | Mexico City – Villahermosa with Volaris.
13. MEXICO | Palenque.
14. REVIEW | Hotel Zyan Rooms in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico .