Naval History Museum in Veracruz, VZ was originally established by Mexican President Porfirio Diaz in 1897 to be used as a naval school. In fact, the naval school was held in this building for 55 years. In this museum, you'll find a large collection of Mexican naval artifacts including sailor's knots, navigational instruments, boat models and war documents. The Naval History Musuem, which is located between Gómez Farías and Landero y Coss, is open Tuesdays through Sunday. The Naval History Museum tells the story of Mexico's navy.
The naval history of Veracruz started in 1519 with Hernando Cortés, a Spanish conquistador, who owned 11 vessels at this port. On Good Friday, 1519, Cortés and his crew first came to the area they called La Vera Cruz. Veracruz is called the "heroic city" because of the many times it was attacked by France, the United States and other numerous pirates. Each time, they managed to defend themselves heroically.
Each wall of the Naval History Museum displays something different. One wall depicts the entire history of navigation; the second wall shows all the historic acts performed by the Mexican Navy; another wall shows the arms, ammunition and navigational instruments of the Mexican Navy and the last wall consists of replica items of the old Naval Academy. The museum consists of 11 different halls, each showing the local and worldwide evolution of navigation. In addition to the many indigenous artifacts, you see here, you'll also see documentation of the political and social history of Vera Cruz. You'll find examples of naval weapons and equipment, photographs, and maritime vestiges.
