Veracruz starts free historic tours and rehab plan for city center

The Veracruz municipal government has opened a series of free, guided walking tours of the historic downtown, held on the last Monday of each month. The program is coordinated by Ricardo Cañas Montalvo, head of History and Culture Diffusion, and is overseen by Mayor Rosa María Hernández Espejo through the city’s Directorate of Culture led by Elvira Domínguez Ramón. Participants explore façades and streets while learning about the origins, construction dates and historic events linked to each site, including the rare "atarazana" building.

At the same time, the city’s public works department, directed by Ana Isabel Martínez Torres, is working with the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) to streamline permits and safety upgrades for historic structures. Around 5,000 buildings exist in Veracruz’s historic centre, of which 746 are officially catalogued as monuments. The initiative aims to reduce risks, encourage owners to request interventions, and preserve the area’s cultural heritage while improving urban safety.