It was the first Spanish settlement on the mainland of the Americas to receive a coat-of-arms. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Veracruz was invaded on different occasions by France and the United States; during the Tampico Affair , US troops occupied the city for seven months. It has become the principal port for most of Mexico's imports and exports, especially for the automotive industry. Veracruz has a blend of cultures, mostly indigenous , ethnic Spanish and Afro-Cuban.
The influence of these three is best seen in the food and music of the area, which has strong Hispanic, Caribbean and African influences. According to tradition, when the Spanish arrived, they found two young men who had been sacrificed. When they asked the locals what had happened, they said the Aztecs had ordered the sacrifice. The original settlement was moved to what is now known as Antigua, at the mouth of the Huitzilapan or Antigua River shortly thereafter.
When large-scale smuggling of goods took place to avoid customs officials, [11] the Spanish Crown ordered the settlement returned to its original site to cut down on that traffic. As in other parts of Mexico, the indigenous peoples suffered from epidemics of European infectious diseases, which decimated the population after contact.
The Spanish began to import African slaves via the port of Veracruz to work on sugarcane plantations. In the 16th century, this state had more slaves than any other in Mexico. Their gold and silver were the principal exports.
In , a fire nearly reduced much of the city to ashes. In , the Barlovento Armada was stationed here for additional defense against pirates. The 19th century was marked by armed conflicts. In , insurgents took the city, despite Santa Anna's attempts to stop them. The city's defense against the attack earned its first title of "Heroic City".
