Mexico/Tamaulipas: Tampico
Tamaulipas became our next Mexican state, although we didn’t stick around for long. Supposedly, the entire state is not particularly safe as rival cartels are fuming it out here. The town of Tampico at one point in history was one of the richest cities in the world – during the oil boom of late 19th/early 20th century, it was the leading oil escorting city in Americas and the second busiest port in the world. The oil riches resulted in architectural riches and Tampico was known then as the Venice of America or often cooperated to the New Orleans. Many buildings feature wrought-iron balconies mostly built of English steel. Then the oil field dried up in 1923 and Tampico began its decline. In the 2000s, the city saw violent cartel killings and crime spiked, bringing the city further to its knees. Some of the attractions include the Tampico Cathedral, a couple squares surrounded by century-old buildings, and nice parks (one of them had very inquisitive squirrels). Other then that, probably would not come back to Tampico again.
