Jalapa, the capital of the state of Veracruz, is not nearly as much on the tourist map as it deserves to be. In fact even many foreigners who have lived there for years, and for that matter many Mexicans, have neglected this jewel among the smaller cities of Mexico.

What makes it so special, besides its world-class anthropology museum, nearby archaeological sites and splendid colonial treasures, is its cultured blend of a modern and yet old-fashioned atmosphere. Home to the University of Veracruz since 1944, Jalapa has incorporated all that a lively academic schedule brings with it into the weave of the city´s older colonial past.

Time has hardly stood still here as there are many new buildings, but they always harmonize beautifully with the old. There remains a feeling that Francis Calderón de La Barca, the wonderfully insightful early 19th-century Scottish-born author of "Life in Mexico," would feel at home in 21st-century Jalapa. I think she would have kind things to say about how this sophisticated city has managed to hold on to its "old world," relaxed charm since the time that she spent there as the wife of Spain´s first ambassador to Mexico after independence.

ENCHANTING ECHOES

Try to take the time for a leisurely stroll in the lovely tree-shaded, flower-filled central square, the Parque Juárez, which was created in the late 19th century during the regime of Porfirio Díaz. I think you will be enchanted with its balloon sellers, ice-cream vendors, white wrought-iron benches and pruned hedges, and perhaps you might not find it hard to envision elegant ladies dressed in wide hoop skirts with their accompanying debonair men attired in top hats and playful children making up a fine family tableau.

Although Jalapa soon after the 1519 conquest became an important stagecoach stop for those passing through from Veracruz on their way to Mexico City, it wasn´t until the mid-18th century that an important Spanish trade fair put it on the map.

The colonial past remains very much in evidence in the narrow, cobblestone avenues, red-tiled roofs, the intricate lace curtains in the windows protected by often elaborate and always beautiful grillwork, carved wooden doors and colorfully-painted houses. Some of the shops in the downtown area, especially the mercerías or those selling threads and buttons, etc., are really an echo of long ago.

Jalapa is still relatively small at some 400,000 plus inhabitants and only the sometimes-annoying fume-producing buses and the many cars clogging the steep winding streets give a reminder that this is, as well, a bustling and successful commercial center for the region´s coffee and flower growers.

The natural setting of Jalapa, (also often spelled Xalapa but in both cases pronounced hah-LAH-pah), on the semitropical slope between the steamy coast around the city of Veracruz and the central highlands, is stunning.

The town is built on hills - somewhat of a challenge to those not in the best of physical condition - and overlooked by the mighty usually snow-capped Pico de Orizaba, or to use its pre-Hispanic name Citlaltepetl or Star Mountain (an extinct volcano), Mexico´s highest peak at 18,551 feet and the third highest in North America.

On a clear day it seems to arise from nowhere in the city´s background like a beautiful peaceful giant vision, but the climb up to its spectacular top is only for the experienced climber and even then it is said that you need a guide.

ETERNAL SPRING

Because Jalapa is at a lowish altitude - 1,427 meters or about 4,700 feet - the weather is fantastic, wonderfully mild and perhaps even more of an eternal spring climate than Cuernavaca. There is a light but persistent winter drizzle, called chipichipi by locals, and summer mist, but these contribute to the outstanding exuberance of the vegetation from huge tropical flowering trees to breathtaking bougainvillea, giving Jalapa the fame of being the flower garden of Mexico.

One of the most pleasant aspects about a trip to Jalapa is that it is a supremely child-friendly area. You won´t have spats as to what´s fun as there is so much that the entire family can do together. You will certainly want to spend time at the Anthropology Museum, the second most important in Mexico, with its famous giant Olmec heads, outdoor gardens and fabulous ultra-modern, light airy building designed by Edward Durrell Stone (the same architect who designed the JFK Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.). Then there are such inner-city monuments as the Palacio de Gobierno and the 18th-century white cathedral (kids will like the sloping floor).

You can also go to marvelous classical music concerts performed by the Orquesta Sinfónica de Xalapa or take in a jazz show. You should also check to see if the university is offering any one of its dozens of cultural festivals, be it dance, poetry, song or painting.

Jalapa is full of luxurious parks, chief among them the Parque los Tecajetes and the Parque Ecológico Macuiltepetl, both of which have an educational ecological focus. The Paseo de los Lagos near the university is three lakes which are a favorite spot of Jalapeños for a weekend outing.

SHOPPING AND EATING

Any-age girl, and her mother as well, will love the centrally-located Callejón del Diamante with its dozens of small stands selling inexpensive but very "in" jewelry and trinkets.

There are lots of budget restaurants along the callejón offering excellent fixed-priced lunch called comida corrida. After this shopping spree the family could be indulged with a trip to any of the balnearios (swimming pools) that are close by. They are generally scrupulously clean and well supervised. All kids will be entranced with the hands-on Science and Technology Museum.

DAY TRIP DIVERSIONS

Trips outside Jalapa are easy and stimulating. Just south of the city is the Jardín Botánico Clavijero with its great arboretum. Keep following the road, passing luxurious banana and coffee plantations and you get to the town of Coatepec which is both an orchid-growing center and an important coffee producer. You can buy bags of some of the best coffee Mexico has to offer.

If you want to taste it on the spot, either in Coatepec or in Jalapa (go there to the famous Café la Parróquia), stop in one of the many cafés for a great lechero which is a tall glass of strong (I mean strong) espresso to which steaming hot milk is added.

You might want to do what local residents do and dunk a delicious sweet bread, or pan dulce, in it, all the while perhaps listening to the cheerful strains of a marimba. Ice cream lovers will also appreciate the many, often exotic, flavors for sale in Coatepec.

Continuing a few kilometers south will bring you to the pretty town of Xico. A nice adventure is the 2 kilometer walk from there to the 40 meter waterfall of Texolo, which you might have seen in the movie "Romancing the Stone."

OTHER DESTINATIONS

An hour away on the Gulf of Mexico are the ruins of Cempoala, the capital of the Totonac Indians, founded in 1200 A.D. They are ideal for smaller children as the site is small enough to take in easily and is rarely crowded.

There is also, of course, a trip to Veracruz, also about an hour from Jalapa. On the way there you can go to the fabulous Museo Hacienda El Lencero, once home to the famous/infamous General Antonio López de Santa Ana. Its furnishings, beautifully kept up and displayed, are very evocative of the 19th century way of life - for the rich.

In Veracruz you can swim - not Mexico´s best beaches but perfectly fine and the water´s nice. As well as stroll and shop along the malecón and eat fantastic seafood. If you appreciate dance, look for spots where you will see couples gracefully moving to danzón. You could be on a longer trip headed north from Jalapa to the very important archaeological site of El Tajin, not wanting to miss the Flying Totonacan Indians of Papantla.

"Jalapa, ¡vamos bien!" That´s what the local billboards say and it´s certainly true. It´s true as well for the whole state of Veracruz, one of Mexico´s best and most varied.

Be sure to stop off at the tourist center right in front of the Parque Juárez.

If you are driving, it is about a 4 to 5 hour trip from Mexico City. A car offers all the obvious advantages of seeing the surrounding sights, but there is the option of first-rate bus service which allows you the freedom to enjoy the scenery. The central bus station (CAXA) is exceptionally well located and the taxis in Jalapa are cheap and safe.

Vicky Cowal is a weekly contributor to The Herald. VickyCowal@prodigy.net.mx