Traveling along the Costa Smeralda, north of the port of Veracruz and a few minutes from the town of Palma Sola, we arrived at the Boca de Loma ranch, where we would start our horseback tour.
Starting from the dunes that are on the seashore to the thick jungle and passing through the coastal plain to visit the hidden mouth ranches, La Mesilla, el naranjo, Santa Gertrudis, Centenario, El Sobrante and La Junta. These ranches cover an area of 1 000 ha, of which 500 were declared a reserve by their former owner, Rafael Hernández Ochoa, a pioneer of ecology in the region and former governor of the entity. Traveling along the Costa Smeralda, north of the port of Veracruz and a few minutes from the town of Palma Sola, we arrived at the Boca de Loma ranch, where we would begin our journey on horseback starting from the dunes that are on the seashore to the thick jungle and passing through the coastal plain to visit the hidden mouth ranches, La Mesilla, el naranjo, Santa Gertrudis, Centenario, El Sobrante and La Junta. These ranches cover an area of 1 000 ha, of which 500 were declared a reserve by their former owner, Rafael Hernández Ochoa, a pioneer of ecology in the region and former governor of the entity.
The main economic activities in the area are cattle ranching, the production of cheese and creams and the sale of cattle, but nowadays they do not provide sufficient resources for the maintenance of the ranches, and due to this situation the forest is cut down. There is a false belief that more pastures will lead to greater income, but the only thing that happens is that in this way hectares and hectares of vegetation are destroyed. However, due to its physical conditions, this region is perfect for the development of ecotourism and adventure tourism, which can be a new economic alternative for the conservation of the forest and raising the standard of living of its inhabitants.
It is also intended to launch scientific projects such as the study and observation of birds, because the coast of this region is the scene of an important migration of raptors such as the peregrine falcon that comes from Canada and the northern United States and stops in this region during the months of October and November to then continue his way to South America.
Other species that can be seen on the coast and in the mangroves are the kingfisher, herons, redfish, cormorants, diving ducks and ospreys. But these birds are not the only ones, since when we enter the jungle we can admire colorful toucans, parakeets, sailors, snouts, chachalacas and pepes, the latter named for the sound they emit. To admire these species, it is intended to build a special camouflage that hides the observer from the watery gaze and fine sensitivity of the inhabitants of the air.
Another important project is that of herbalism and naturopathic medicine, which have a promising future in this rich region.
Touring the jungle with Don Bernardo, rancho el Naranjo's foreman, we go on an interesting journey through the flora of the region of its medicinal utility:
“We use guava and copal for stomach pain, and huaco with brandy for nauyaca bites, sweet herb for abortion and thyme for fright. I used the latter recently because my little boy started to get sick and did not want to eat and what happened is that I had scolded him when we were coming from Santa Gertrudis because he fell off his horse, but I gave him his thyme tea and he took off the terror."
All these plants are just a small part of the flora, the rest is made up of huge ceibas, fig trees, mulatto sticks, white sticks and many more. And such a variety houses an extensive fauna composed of armadillos, opossums, badgers, deer, ocelots, tepescuincles and lizards, although it must be said that the latter were introduced since those who lived there were extinct.
The region is perfect for doing endless excursions such as hiking, horseback riding of one to five days, jungle survival tours, boat rides through the mangroves and racho activities such as milking, cheese making and cattle herding.
Talking with Don Bernardo while he was milking and we drank one of the best milkshakes in the world made with raw milk, brandy and sugar, he explained to us when the horses had to be saddled and how the animals are marked:
“When the moon is tender, it should not be saddled because the animal buckles, but if we saddle it with a strong moon it remains firm. It is also marked; If we mark them with a strong moon, the mark does not grow, if we do it with a new moon, the mark is deformed; Nor is it marked when and there is north because the animals get sick. "
At dusk, the serla becomes a sound concert from nocturnal birds, crickets and cicadas, among others. And when darkness falls, people go into their houses and do not go out because they believe in ghosts, evil spirits, goblins and giants that haunt at night. The giants, according to legend, are three.
One of them is dressed in black and is riding a horse, another is wearing a blue shirt and wears a hat, and the third only lets his shadow be seen. These are seen in the jungle, at the end of the roads and in the evenings in the undergrowth, but they do nothing, they just stare at you, or so people say.
Like the ghosts, let us not watch our jungles and ourselves destroy ourselves, and let us protect this beautiful region so that it remains as real as it is now.
Source: Unknown Mexico No. 208 / June 1994
Photographer specialized in adventure sports. He has worked for MD for over 10 years!
