Xico (Nahuatl for “where there are honeycombs of yellow wax”) is located in the mountainous area of the state of Veracruz. It’s surrounded by highly varied topography full of trails, hills, plateaus, and waterfalls. The capital of Xico is located an hour and a half from Veracruz’s airport, after which reaching the farms can take between 15 minutes and 1 hour on dirt roads.
Xico’s close proximity to the powerhouse production area of Coatepec motivates Xico producers to put more effort into planting and harvesting and thus be able to compete in the local market. This has caused producers in the Xico to improve their quality and precision at an accelerated pace.
Producers closer to the city have a variety of employment options outside of the coffee harvest if they need them, but producers further away depend entirely on agriculture, making them more vulnerable to sudden changes like inflation and coffee price fluctuations.
In addition to coffee, producers in Xico grow corn, lemon, avocado, and vegetables for their own consumption and sale. The farms in this area are usually small, between 2 and 3 hectares. During the harvest season they use family labor for all the work. Typical shade trees used by Xico producers include native trees such as banana, ice cream bean tree, and oak. Farmers have a deep-rooted organic culture, so they typically only use chicken manure and other organic products to fertilize the farm.
Xico’s harvest, like the rest of Veracruz, is harvested in cherry. Producers use mules, trucks, or ATVs to transport the coffee. Transit time between farms and the central collection center in Xico varies between 15 minutes and 1 hour.
Although Xico was an area with a rich indigenous Totonaca culture, many of the pre-Hispanic traditions no longer exist and have given way to Catholic religious traditions which are very strong in the area.
Xico has a privileged but limiting geographical position. It’s located in the lower part of the Cofre del Perote volcano, so its lands are very fertile and suitable for almost any crop. At the same time, Xico’s location in relation to the Gulf of Mexico means cold air arrives from the north, meaning coffee can only be grown up to 1,800 meters above sea level due to the constant risk of frost in the highest areas.
From 2,000 meters above sea level, the land is much colder and the crops that grow in the area are few. One crop that’s abundant in these far reaches is hallucinogenic mushrooms. Because of their prevalence, many shamans live here and tourists flock to experience this unique feature.
