A city of east-central Mexico on the Gulf of Mexico east of Puebla. Founded in 1599 on a site visited earlier (1519) by Hernando Cortés, it was frequently sacked by buccaneers in the 17th and 18th centuries. U.S. troops led by Gen. Winfield Scott captured the city in 1847 during the Mexican-American War. It is a large port and a tourist resort. Population: 444,000.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
