Zongolica is a city and its surrounding municipality located in the south of the Mexican state of Veracruz, about 100 km from the state capital Xalapa. The municipality has a surface of 63.34 km2. It is located at 18.66667°N, -97°W. The name comes from Nahuatl Tzontli-coliuhqui 'crafty hair'.

Economy

It produces principally maize, orange fruit coffee and mango. The climate is cold-humid, with an average temperature of 17.4 °C, with rains in summer and autumn.

Culture

Every October, a festival is held to celebrate San Francisco de Asís, patron of the town, and in December there is a festival in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Zongolica is home to the Ixcohuapa people, who are known for cooking and consuming larvae of Arsenura armida.

Geography

The municipality of Zongolica is bordered to the north by Tequila and Omealca, to the east by Tezonapa, to the south by the state of Puebla and to the west by Los Reyes.

Climate

Fauna

Zongolica catfish Rhamdia zongolicensis is named after Zongolica and only known from a single cave in the Sierra de Zongolica.