La Antigua - Mexico's First Spanish Settlement

La Antigua lies about 28 km north of Veracruz port, a 30 to 40 minute trip by rental car or ADO/AU bus toward Cardel with a short taxi transfer into town, making it one of the easiest half-day trips from the port city. A morning arrival suits the compact riverside walk best, starting at the roofless ruins of the Casa de Hernan Cortes near the Rio Antigua, then continuing to the giant ficus tree that has grown over and enveloped the old customs house (Ex-Aduana), and on to the Ermita del Rosario, among the oldest churches on the American mainland. The entire walking circuit covers only a few blocks along the riverfront and can be completed in under two hours, leaving time to sit at one of the palapa restaurants lining the Rio Antigua for fresh fish or shrimp cocktail while watching local boats on the water. Because La Antigua served as the first colonial capital of New Spain from 1525 to 1599 before the port shifted to present-day Veracruz, the town's appeal is historical and atmospheric rather than monumental; ruins are viewed from the outside rather than entered. The site has almost no shade cover away from the riverbank trees, so mornings are the coolest and most comfortable time to walk between the ruins; the trip works well year-round given Veracruz's consistently warm coastal climate, though summer afternoons bring the heaviest humidity.