 By the end of the century, many infrastructure improvements, such as roads and railways (especially the Ferrocarril Interoceánico) had been completed with the major cities being Veracruz, Orizaba, Xalapa, Córdoba, Jalacingo, Chicontepec and Tantoyuca.The discovery of oil in the north of the state attracted foreign firms, which brought machinery needed for its extraction.These companies included Huasteca Company Petroleum and El Aguila along with American and English firms.