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Arrecife / Isla de Sacrificios
Sacrificios is one of the eight emergent platform reefs that form part of the Systema Arrecifal Veracruzano, Veracruz Reef System (VRS), located just off the port of Veracruz in the Western Gulf of Mexico. In 1992, the Mexican government declared the system a Natural Protected Area with a National Marine Park status. It has an island associated with it that bears the same name, Isla de Sacrificios, which hosts an important lighthouse, a visitors center and many exotic transplants among the natural vegetation. It is one of the most visited and popular among daily visitors, since it is only a short boat ride from the Veracruz city shoreline drive and seawall (Malecon). The famous lighthouse and island is depicted in many paintings and photos, as on many postcards, of the Veracruz shoreline. Since prehistoric times the inhabitants of the Veracruz region utilized the island for ceremonial and ritual purposes. There have been numerous archeological findings, which include burial artifacts and pyramid base remains of Totonacan temples. In the colonial era, the island was known for its ship reparation and attack preparation activities. During the Pasteles war in 1836, it served as a point of origin for French maritime attacks; the French soldiers that died during this war are buried in the monument known as El Polvorin. It was also occupied by the United States during the invasion to Mexico. Sacrificios is only 1 km away from the mainland giving it accessability to tourism and intense scientific collection activities, both of which threatened the delicate area in the past. 
Location on Continental Shelf: Inner-Shelf Bank Coordinates: 19.18° N 96.09° W Nearest Largest City: Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico Selected Characteristics: Width: 1.0 km Length: 0.5 km Maximum Depth: 14 m Community Structure: Large introduced species such as Casuarina equisetiforia, Terminalia catappa, Cocos nucifera, and Psidium guajava, are common in Sacrificios. References: Instituto Nacional de Ecologia (INE). 1992. DECRETO por el que se declara área natural protegida con el carácter de Parque Marino Nacional, la zona conocida como Sistema Arrecifal Veracruzano. Web accessed on Feb. 2, 2004. Instituto Nacional de Ecología (INE). 1996. Parque Marino Nacional Systema Arrecifal Veracruzano. Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad. Secretaría de Medio Ambiente, Recursos Naturales y Pesca. Web accessed on Feb. 16, 2004 Tunnell, J.W., Jr. 2007. Reef Distribution (chapter 2, 9). In Tunnell, J.W. Jr., Chavez, E.O. and Withers, K. (eds) Coral Reefs of the Southern Gulf of Mexico. Texas A&M University Press, College Station, TX, 216 p. Additional Information: Instituto Nacional de Ecologia INE Decreto Instituto Nacional de Ecologia INE Systema Arrecifal Veracruzano Keywords: Reef, Island, Emergent platform reef, Veracruz reef system, Lighthouse, Archeological, Totonacas, Exotic species |
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Harte
Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
To give proper credit to the original authors, please cite information taken from GulfBase by the original source as displayed. 
To cite GulfBase, use:
M. Nipper, J.A. Sánchez Chávez,
and J.W. Tunnell, Jr., Editors. 2010.
GulfBase: Resource Database for Gulf of Mexico Research.
World Wide
Web electronic publication. http://www.gulfbase.org, 29 July 2010. |
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