Tecolutla: Mexico's Gulf Coast Acapulco?

Tecolutla is a small beach resort along the Gulf of Mexico in Veracruz state, Mexico. At one time a small fishing outpost, it developed into a beach resort in the 1940s as a result of the popularization of sunbathing and infrastructural development facilitated by two Mexican presidents. As the closest beach to Mexico City, Tecolutla briefly rivaled Acapulco as the most popular beach destination in the country. But Tecolutla slowly lost out to its Pacific Coast rival, which had better weather, better access (after 1956), political favoritism (mostly by Miguel Alemán Valdés, native Veracruzano and president of Mexico 1946–1952), and international cachet in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Although Tecolutla never became the envisioned "Gulf Coast Acapulco," it has steadily grown over the years thanks to better highway access, diversification of attractions, and lower prices. There are still obstacles that prevent it from evolving beyond its current status as a domestic destination resort.