This is one of the many places that I'd never heard before collecting UNESCO postcards! What a wonderful way to learn about wonderful places all around the world!
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| Tlacotalpan |
This postcard was sent by Carlos
Tlacotalpan, is an exceptionally well-preserved Spanish colonial river port close to the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The original urban plan, a checkerboard or grid pattern, laid out by the Spanish in the mid 16th century, has been preserved to a remarkable degree. Its wide streets are lined with colonnaded houses that reflect a vernacular Caribbean tradition with exuberant decoration and colour. Many mature trees can be found in the public parks, open spaces and private gardens. Initially settled by the Spanish around 1550, the settlement reached its major brilliance in the 19th century.
Arcades of arched porticos line the streets. These arcades are supported by pillars varying in form and style from simple beams to fluted columns with elaborately ornamented bases, capitals and moulded cornices. Tlacotalpan has retained an unusual density of high-quality historic buildings that provide architectural harmony and homogeneity. While the basic vernacular style is found elsewhere on the Mexican Gulf Coast, Tlacotalpan’s single-storey houses exhibit distinctive manifestations that include a profusion of brightly-coloured exteriors and original features such as the roof coverings of curved terra cotta tiles and the layouts with interior courtyards. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/862/
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