The Key to the Southeast is located on the southeast coasts of Veracruz State and is currently a thriving regional economic center. Of Toltec and Olmeca origins, the beautiful city of Coatzacoalcos was founded on the 8th of July 1522 by Spanish conqueror Gonzalo de Sandoval under the orders of Hernan Cortes, after Coatzacoalcos River was analyzed in search of gold by the Spanish army and the captain mentioned the great geographic location of the port to the Spanish Crown.

The new Villa del Espìritu Santo was located upstream and performed as the control center of other Indian communities, reaching the current territory of Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche and Oaxaca. Its influence was obstructed when at the end of the XVII century a great epidemic and the constant attack of European pirates almost made the province disappear. Recovery was slow and in 1880 it was named the head of the new namesake municipality. However, in 1900 it was renamed Puerto Mexico, which was kept until the city's official designation in 1911 and until 1936, when it retook its ancient and original name, Coatzacoalcos or "“place where the serpent hides"” (referring to the feathered snake, representation of Quetzalcoatl god).

Its privileged geographic location as an obligated passage to Mexico's southeast gave it a great competitive advantage, especially in the commerce and service sectors. Additionally, the petrochemical center "“Pajaritos"” is one of the country's most important and therefore responsible for the city's economic and social development. Without forgetting to mention that it is also a producer of fine wood and sulfur. Currently, this city in Veracruz has a service infrastructure at the level of other important cities in the region.

With a population of approximately 400 thousand residents, the municipality is located at sea level and has a warm tropical climate and abundant rain during summer and autumn. Life at this green port is calm and in harmony with ecological preservation, at least in the last years.