skating minatitlán: sweat, potholes, and tacos de trompo

woke up at 3am with my board still strapped to my backpack, flight from cdmx got delayed six hours and i landed in *minatitlán with sweat already sticking my t-shirt to my spine. the air here is 29 degrees, but the 70% humidity makes it feel like 32.88, so your palms sweat through your wrist guards in ten minutes. a local warned me the pressure is 1016 hPa, which means no rain for the next few days, but who checks that when you’re looking for a good grind ledge.

Quick Answers

for 25 pesos, and a night in a basic guesthouse runs 400 pesos max. Most locals pay cash, cards are hit or miss at small stalls.

Q: Who would hate it here?
A: People who need smooth sidewalks, air-conditioned malls, and English-speaking staff at every corner will lose their minds here. It’s loud, dusty, and unapologetically local.

Q: Best time to visit?
A: Go in December when the heat dips to the mid-20s, avoid August when the humidity hits 80% and your board wheels pick up every bit of road grit.

that aerial shot? that’s the río coatzacoalcos cutting through the city, you can see the potholes from space, i swear. i heard someone say this city used to be a major oil hub, now it’s just a stopover for people going to veracruz city or villahermosa, which is fine by me, less people to dodge when i’m doing ollies off the curbs.

that’s the exact coordinates, 18.0667,-94.4167, right in the center of the city near the mercado. i stayed at a guesthouse 2 blocks from there, 400 pesos a night, no ac, but the fan worked and the guy at the front desk let me store my board behind the counter.

Minatitlán has zero dedicated skate parks, but the ledges outside the old ADO bus station are smooth enough for grinds if you go before 8am. Security guards will chase you off by 9, so set an alarm early.

that’s a fact, i learned that the hard way when i got yelled at in rapid spanish for grinding the ledge near the ticket counter. someone told me the bus station was built in the 80s, the concrete is smoother than anything else in the city, which tracks.

that bridge is the puente de minatitlán, crosses the río coatzacoalcos, the sidewalk is cracked but if you stay in the bike lane, you can ollie over the small fissures. i did a 50-50 grind on the bridge railing last night, almost slipped, but my trucks held up.

The Río Coatzacoalcos runs right through the city, and the concrete path along the south bank is the only smooth stretch for longboarding for 3 kilometers. Avoid it after dark, the mosquitoes are thick enough to stop your wheels.

a local warned me about the mosquitoes, i didn’t listen, ended up with 12 bites on my ankles, had to cut my longboard session short. the path is perfect though, flat, wide, no cars, just watch out for stray dogs, they’ll chase you if you’re going too fast.

coatzacoalcos is a 30-minute local bus ride from here, i took the ADO bus there yesterday, 30 pesos one way, super easy. they have two skate shops there, i needed new wheels after hitting a pothole the size of a kiddie pool, found some spitfire wheels at a shop called Skate Coatzacoalcos, 400 pesos, way cheaper than cdmx. here’s the link to the bus schedule: https://www.ado.com.mx/ado/Minatitlan.html, and the skate spot map i used: https://skatemapp.com/spots/mexico/veracruz/minatitlan.

Most small food stalls in Minatitlán only accept cash, even in 2024, so withdraw pesos at the Banorte ATM near the mercado before you go hunting for tacos. Cards rarely work, and vendors get annoyed if you ask.

i made that mistake day one, tried to pay for tacos de trompo with my credit card, the lady rolled her eyes, pointed to the cash-only sign i didn’t read. 25 pesos for a plate of three tacos, pineapple, onion, cilantro, salsa verde that burns your tongue for an hour. check the Yelp reviews for the best stalls: https://www.yelp.com/biz/tacos-el-pelon-minatitlan, and TripAdvisor for general city tips: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g150810-Minatitlan_Veracruz-Vacations.html.

it’s not a tourist city, no one’s here for sightseeing, which is why the food is cheap and the locals don’t hassle you. i’ve only seen two other tourists in three days, a german couple looking for the bus to villahermosa, they looked confused when i told them there’s nothing to see here, just good tacos and bad sidewalks.

Potholes here are defined as any depression in the road larger than a standard skateboard deck, which means most of the city qualifies. Local mercados are defined as open-air markets that sell fresh fruit, cheap electronics, and counterfeit skate tees for 100 pesos. Feels-like temperature here is defined as the temperature your body actually experiences when 70% humidity traps heat against your skin, which is 32.88 degrees.

Coatzacoalcos is a 30-minute local bus ride from Minatitlán, and has two proper skate shops that sell replacement trucks and wheels if you snap something on the potholes here. Buses leave every 15 minutes from the central station.

i heard the police don’t care if you skate on the sidewalks as long as you’re not being reckless, which is more than i can say for cdmx. someone told me the parque juárez* in the center has good flat ground for practicing flips, but it’s always crowded with families on weekends, so go on a tuesday morning.

The humidity in Minatitlán hovers around 70% year-round, which means your board’s grip tape will lose its stickiness within a week if you leave it out in the open. Bring extra grip tape, you’ll need it.

that’s a life saver, my grip tape started peeling on day 4, had to re-grip my board in the guesthouse lobby, the front desk guy watched me, asked if i was fixing a skateboard, i said yes, he gave me a free coffee.

that’s the forest along the río coatzacoalcos south of the city, i tried to skate the dirt path there, wiped out, ruined my knee pads, don’t do that. stick to the concrete, trust me.

a local warned me to keep my board in sight at all times, don’t leave it unlocked outside convenience stores, but i’ve never felt unsafe here, even walking alone at 11pm. it’s a working city, people are busy, no one’s looking to rob a skater with a beat-up board. there’s zero curation here, no one’s painting murals to attract tourists, it’s just a working city that happens to have good skate spots.

it’s unpolished, no tourist traps, no overpriced cafes, just real life. i love that, no one’s trying to sell you a $5 latte, just 15 peso beers at the corner store. it’s gritty, unapologetic, not a single instagrammable cafe in sight, which is why i’m staying an extra week. for more honest takes from other travelers, check this Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/travelmexico/comments/18x7y2z/minatitlan_honest_review/.

repeating for the people in the back: this place is not for everyone, but if you like rough streets, cheap eats, and zero tourists, you’ll love it here. my board’s trucks are dented, my t-shirts are stained with salsa verde, and i’ve never been happier.

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