Veracruz, << `vehr` uh KROOZ >> (pop. 405,952), is the chief port of Mexico. Its official name is Veracruz Llave << YAH vay >> . The city overlooks a harbor on the Gulf of Mexico, 200 miles (320 kilometers) east of Mexico City. Its products include chocolate, cigars, shoes, and textiles. Veracruz is a railroad center. The city is the site of the fortress of San Juan de Ulua, built by the Spanish in the 1500’s.
Hernán Cortés founded Veracruz in 1519 (see Cortés, Hernán ). The city was the first Spanish settlement in Mexico. United States Marines occupied Veracruz for a time in 1914, after a dispute with Mexico over the arrest of some U.S. sailors.
