Villahermosa [key], city (1990 pop. 261,321), capital of Tabasco state, SE Mexico, on the Grijalva River. The city, which has good communications facilities, is the commercial and distribution center for the surrounding region. Oil is the economic mainstay. Villahermosa was founded in the 16th cent. The city possesses a large collection of Olmec and Mayan artifacts, which are exhibited in the Regional Anthropological Museum and the La Venta Park-Museum. Large sections of the city are subject to periodic, devastating flooding, most recently in 1999 and 2007.
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