due to northern Veracruz's rugged terrain and thick vegetation, and lack of resources that the Spanish sought. Veracruz is considered to be where the "mestizo" or mixed European/indigenous ethnicities began, which is a large part of Mexican cultural identity.

Arriving with the Spanish conquerors, new diseases made their first appearance in the continent. European diseases decimated the native population of the province, prompting the importation of enslaved Africans during