Parque Los Berros
Encyclopedia
Parque Los Berros, in Xalapa
, Veracruz
, is located a short distance to the southeast of the center of town, in the neighbourhood of the Stadium
.
Its name was derived from an edible herb called "berros" (garden cress
) that used to grow in the area.
Throughout the 19th century, the place would turn into a mosquito-infested marshland during the Summer rainy season. The rest of the year, it was occasionally used for horse-racing, as is shown in an engraving published in Historia Antigua de Jalapa by Manuel Rivera y Cambas, in 1871.
It was on this site, most probably the army campground, around April 20th, 1847, that members of the Fourth Illinois Infantry Regiment played the first game of baseball
in México, as gathered from oral tradition and recorded in a 1909 publication, perhaps the first ever played outside the U.S. As a bat, they used the "wooden peg leg" of Antonio López de Santa Anna
that they had captured a day or so before, at the Battle of Cerro Gordo
.
Xalapa
Xalapa-Enríquez, commonly Xalapa or Jalapa, is the capital city of the Mexican state of Veracruz and the name of the surrounding municipality. In the year 2005 census the city reported a population of 387,879 and the municipality of which it serves as municipal seat reported a population of...
, Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
, is located a short distance to the southeast of the center of town, in the neighbourhood of the Stadium
Stadium (Xalapa)
The Stadium at Xalapa, Veracruz, is located a few blocks south and downhill of the center of town, and can be easily seen from the terraces of Parque Juárez.The place was identified in the 1920s by William K...
.
Its name was derived from an edible herb called "berros" (garden cress
Garden cress
Garden cress is a fast-growing, edible herb that is botanically related to watercress and mustard, sharing their peppery, tangy flavor and aroma...
) that used to grow in the area.
Throughout the 19th century, the place would turn into a mosquito-infested marshland during the Summer rainy season. The rest of the year, it was occasionally used for horse-racing, as is shown in an engraving published in Historia Antigua de Jalapa by Manuel Rivera y Cambas, in 1871.
It was on this site, most probably the army campground, around April 20th, 1847, that members of the Fourth Illinois Infantry Regiment played the first game of baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
in México, as gathered from oral tradition and recorded in a 1909 publication, perhaps the first ever played outside the U.S. As a bat, they used the "wooden peg leg" of Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
that they had captured a day or so before, at the Battle of Cerro Gordo
Battle of Cerro Gordo
The Battle of Cerro Gordo, or Battle of Sierra Gordo, in the Mexican-American War saw Winfield Scott's United States troops flank and drive Santa Anna's larger Mexican army from a strong defensive position.-Battle:...
.