Catemaco in depth

The authors conducted a high-resolution multi-proxy analysis of pollen, charcoal particles and diatoms found in the sediments of Lago Verde (18°36'46" N, 95°20'52"W) -- a small closed-basin lake on the outskirts of the Sierra de Los Tuxtlas (a volcanic field on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico) -- which covered the past 2000 years.

What was learned?

The five Mexican researchers say their data "provide evidence that the densest tropical forest cover and the deepest lake of the last two millennia were coeval with the Little Ice Age, with two deep lake phases that follow the Sporer and Maunder minima in solar activity." In addition, they suggest that "the high tropical pollen accumulation rates limit the Little Ice Age's winter cooling to a maximum of 2°C," and they conclude that the "tropical vegetation expansion during the Little Ice Age is best explained by a reduction in the extent of the dry season as a consequence of increased meridional flow leading to higher winter precipitation."

WOW - Laguna Verde is about the size of a dishpan and not much deeper, near La Nueva Victoria, a few kilometers off the coast of The Gulf of Mexico.

Basically what they are saying is that lots of vegetation inhibits colder temperatures during ice ages, which is very good to know during the current epoch of global warming.

Maybe we should bulldoze the remaining trees to stay cooler!

Source: CO2 Science

Catemaco Lightning

A little unannounced thunderstorm visited beautiful downtown Catemaco, Veracruz yesterday in the very early morning hours and tumbled 60 trees, 70 roofs, and some electricity posts.
Now I have spent many years in placed called boonies, in country, outback, etc., but I am not a country boy. So it came as a surprise to me to learn of the huge number of cattle electrocuted each year around the world.

July and August average 8 thunderstorms in Catemaco. And one of those freaks of nature hit our family mechanic´s life savings invested in a herd of 6 cattle and killed them all. So out came the machetes and the butchering and politicking over who would get the best meat started to broil. Our newly purchased dual AC minivan became the hearse of choice and transported slabs of beef to dozens of family members and other hungry folks.

Of course, the cattle were not insured, and I doubt that insurance was available or affordable to small ranchers. So now the poor mechanic is praying that all our cars require lots of his attention.
Curiously I am now living in a part of Catemaco which was previously a cattle ranch and known as Colonia of the Frogs, before a developer changed it to presumptious Linda Vista. According to my Popoluca the town used to eagerly await the lightning strikes this time of year, because the rancher would donate the electrocuted animals to the populace all eagerly lined up with their machetes at the cattle gates. And then it became party time.

The photo of lightning in Los Tuxtlas is from a forgotten source.

Catemaco - Venice of Los Tuxtlas

Beautiful downtown Catemaco, Veracruz occupies several hills and vales along the shore of Laguna Catemaco and the foothills of Volcano San Martin Tuxtla.

Unfortunately because not enough people took the opportunity to run for the northern border, the city’s hill sides are now Mexican versions of shoe string Levitz towns or maybe gold rush slums. The concepts of common sense, city planning, or zoning restriction apparently never occupied the minds of Catemaco municipal politicians.

So now, where in the good old days, rivulets ran off the hills to meander towards the placid waters of Laguna Catemao, these rivulets have been channelled, diverted, ignored, and blessed by Catemaco inhabitants.

And in the year 2007, Catemaco inhabitants are still paying the price.
About a dozen times annually, heavy rains create torrid rivers carrying tons of garbage, soil and rocks, beginning in the destructed Catemaco hill sides, and then coursing through the narrow streets of Catemaco. Dozens of homes have been built upon these waterways, including the city’s largest nightclub and a dilapitated bar on the laguna’s shore. Entire city blocks have been cemented over annual rivers, containing who knows how many rats, plastic bottles and abandoned bicycles.

So now obviously the political priority is to build more city board walks which will only be accessible by walking through frequent streams of sewage which bisect the town into often foul smelling quarters.

Aside from this rant, this is truely a pueblo magico! And it would be even more so, if one of those DO GOOD NGOs which are spending millions of dollars in the area, would provide free bus tickets to the border for local politicians.

See the Catemaco in the rain movie:

Catemaco Weather

There is no weather in beautiful downtown Catemaco. Neither is there weather in Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz.

I have no idea how the natural disaster agencies of the state of Veracruz religiously declare assorted municipios, including Catemaco, disaster zones. They must be using fortune teller crystal balls, or possibly have a direct line to local brujos, because there is not one single weather station in Los Tuxtlas.

And Los Tuxtlas have such wonderful variations as 2 to 5+ meters ( 6-18 feet) of annual rain, and storms often just below hurricane strength.

I am amazed that Yahoo, and assorted other websites, list weather reports for Catemaco, San Andres Tuxtla, and other usually weather impaired places in Los Tuxtlas.

The closest rain counters are in Minatitlan/Coatzacoalcos and Veracruz city. Both several hours distant. The former dozen weather stations around Los Tuxtlas were closed in the early 1990's because of budget cuts. There is a radar station near Alvarado, which apparently lacks the budget to turn on the electricity for more than a few days a month.

This shortage of weather information not only affects Los Tuxtlas. The large urban area of Cordoba, Orizaba also lacks adequate information.

Los Tuxtlas have a unique weather pattern because of the height of its gulf shore volcanoes which disrupt the Gulf of Mexico air flow. And while the sun may be shining in Veracruz or Minatitlan, the inhabitants of Los Tuxtlas scurry to save their belongings from torrential rain or howling winds.

Simple automated weather stations are available for less than 1,000 dollars. One would think the Reserva Biologica de Los Tuxtlas, or the Estacion Biologica de Los Tuxtlas, or even one of the local municipios or even one of the local newspapers could afford to buy and maintain one of those instruments.

Needless to say, locals listen to the Veracruz state weather reports, and half the time, haul their lanchas on shore without attending storms, and the local farmers huddle around their milpas while the sun is shining.

That is ok. The municipal presidents are experts at declaring their counties disaster areas: come rain or come shine.

More Catemaco rain stories

Unofficially beautiful downtown Catemaco, Veracruz was drenched with 255 mm (more than 10 inches of rain 2 days ago, and it has not stopped.

The weather must have been just like that when missionaries from Puebla stopped by to visit in the early 1700’s.

Those poor wet friars left behind a statue that has turned Catemaco into a pilgrimage center for thousand of aficionados of “Our Lady of Mount Carmel”, (the “Virgen del Carmen”) who is very attractively housed in one of only 27 basilicas in Mexico.

Photo Essay: History of the Catemaco Basilica and the Virgen del Carmen

Catemaco Submarines

Catemaco is a relatively dry place in Los Tuxtlas. Where other communities receive up to 16 feet of rain per year, Catemaco gets by with as little as 7 feet. Yesterday, I think we received one of these feet.


In the second week of June, Veracruz’s rainy season began and returned the parched natural beauty of Los Tuxtlas to its green outlook. On July 20, the real rainy fun began in beautiful customary runoff from the Catemaco gravel pits. Even a few submarines were sighted.

Much of Los Tuxtlas is still struggling with the aftermath of 2005 ’s Hurricane Stan, and recent heavy rains in the Santa Marta’s have wiped out much of the rural road infrastructure. More than likely thousands of campesinos will be in need of help again.

Donate: Mexican Red Cross

Catemaco socks

As a single man, I always found it objectionable to wear socks. Who needs another item to wash?

Tomorrow, I am expecting the coldest day in Catemaco, Veracruz in the three plus years that I have been here. And my partner managed to borrow one of the only 2 pairs of socks that I guard for occasions when I want to impress people.

13 degrees Celsius, (55 f) is expected to be on the thermometer. My fair weather friend, who is in the process of buying a piece of beautiful Catemaco, is probably laughing hysterically over my predicament. His latest email included a weather report from Boston, USA, which showed something like 55 f degrees below O.

Nevertheless, all windows are closed, blankets, I did not even know existed, are piled on the beds, the dog is hiding in the closet, and my partner is going crazy. She boiled hot stuff 4 times so far today. They say, blood thins in the tropics and tolerates less cold. The corrective action, I understand, is to fortify the blood with a little tequila.

Now the question is, will I appear ridiculous walking to the local liquoreria wearing socks inside my flip-flops?