Chiapas, Mexico

Chiapas is the southernmost state of Mexico, located towards the southeast of the country. Chiapas is bordered by the states of Tabasco to the north, Veracruz  to the northwest, and Oaxaca to the west. To the east Chiapas borders Guatemala, and to the south the Pacific Ocean.

In general Chiapas has a humid, tropical climate. In the north, in the area bordering Tabasco, near Teapa, rainfall can average more than 3,000 mm (120 in) per year. In the past, natural vegetation at this region was lowland, tall perennial rainforest, but this vegetation has been destroyed almost completely to give way to agriculture and ranching.

An innumerable natural beauties, arqueological vestiges, colonial cities, pintoresque villages, live cultures, traditions and modernity are part of the great cultural land that Chiapas represents.

Colonial Cities to visit:

There are a lot of cities and towns that are true testimony of the spanish past, this fact is due to its colonial buildings of great historic value.

San Cristobal de Las Casas: a colonial Mexican jewel, is located in a zone known as Los Altos de Chiapas in which tzeltales and tzotziles indians are settled, these indians are considered direct heirs of the Mayan culture.

Some of the important constructions are the cathedral with its baroque front structure and the ex-convent and temple of Santo Domingo de Guzman mainly.

Chiapa de Corzo: developed in the margins of the Grijalva river or Rio Grande (Big River), this place was the plato of one of the most dramatic passages in the history of this state. The chiapanecas, who were settled there when the Spaniards arrived, proved to be an indomit and brave race, they chose to die by throwing themselves into the waters of Grijalva river from the top of the high Peñon de Tepechtia (Tepechtia Cliff) -today Cañon del Sumidero (El Sumidero Canyon)- before living under the orders of these conquerors of the Old World.

Comitan de Dominguez: craddle of the Chiapas independence, has a historic downtown which has kept its traditional views with old houses and beautiful colonial monuments such as the Church of Santo Domingo with a sober front structure and architectonic morisque influence. The Comitan Plaza is surrounded by the Cultural Center Rosario Castellanos with its beautiful patio of great wood columns.

Tuxtla Guitierrez and the Modernity:
The adventure of knowing Chiapas may beggin in the capital state, Tuxtla Gutierrez, from there you can go anywhere in Chiapas. Thanks to the freeway Tuxtla Gutierrez-Mexico City, the communication with the center of the country has become very good.

The Mayan Culture left not only to Chiapas but to the human kind an invaluable cultural, scientific, artistic, historic and arquitectonic legacy; such as the cities –as today arqueological zones- of Palenque, Bonampak, Yaxchilan, Tonina, Tenam Puente, Chinkultic and Izapa to mention some of them.

Palenque, a mayan metropoli that was developed in the middle of the jungle, was a city of powerful rulers this happened during the 4th and the 8th centuries of our times.

Bonampak, also known as the city of the painted walls, is important because of the wall paintings of Building I were traces of men and women, musicians, dancers, warriors and fantastic beings participate in ceremonies and battles.

Yaxchilan, name that means Green Stones, is located near the Usumacinta river in the borderline with Guatemala. It is important because of the plenty inscriptions in its steles wich converts this city in one of the most important holders of historic records of the mayan culture.

In the Ocosingo valley, Tonina is important because of its architectonic construction and its importance resides in the fact of having been an estrategic military place that played an important role in the political balance of the area.

Chinkultic in Comitan, is important because the city is built on a series of calcareous hills and in the middle of three important water deposits: The Blue Cenote, and the Cahnujabab and Tepancuapan lagoons.

Tenam Puente is located on an elevation were the low zones of Comitan are. Its strategic position in the route that communicates de Altos de Chiapas with Guatemala, allowed it to have acces to important commercial nets, and its importance is due that it represents the trasition between the classic and post classic periods of the Chiapas history and archaeology.

El Sumidero Canyon (Cañon del Sumidero), besides being a landmark of Chiapas, is one of the most beautiful and important geological failures in our country; its walls are almost vertical and they reach almost 1,000 meters high. This place was decreed natural park; it has an incomparable beauty and it is the headquarters of the Eco-touristic Park Sumidero Canyon, an ideal place for swimming, rappel, kayak, sight for flora and fauna, etc.

Montes Azules (Blue Mounts), in the Lacandona Jungle (Selva Lacandona), possesses the biggest hidrologic zone in the country; La Sepultura (The Grave) has strange mountain high points which are considered the most beutiful in Mexico.

One of the most importan cave complexes in the world, the Cañon Rio La Venta (La Venta River Canyon), is in the Selva El Ocote Reserve (Torch Pine Jungle Reserve). In this zone the tourists can practice espeleism, cannoing and rafting. The Sima de las Cotorras (the Parrot Deep Cavern) is located near this area and it is ideal for the practice of escalade and rappel besides admiring the rupestrial paintings.

El Triunfo (The Triumph) is characterized to have fog woods and tropical jungles as shelter of several fauna and flora species in danger of extintion such as the quetzal, which feathers were appreciated in the prehispanic times. This marvellous place is great to practice bird sighting and making ornitology studies. Finally, the Reserva de la Biosfera Volcan Tacana (Tacana Volcano Biosphere Reserve) that has the highest top of Chiapas and the southeast of Mexico with its 4,100 meter over sea level, is considered to be the main place for the practice of andinism (andinismo) in the state.

The Miramar Lagoon –one of Mexico’s most beautiful one- is located in the heart of the Lacandon Jungle. Besides its extraordinary natural beauty, this place simbolizes the resistance of the old lacandon people to the spanish conqueror during the colonial times. The activities that are good here are: camping, canoe rides and trekking, among others.

The blue of the water, the green of the vegetation, the constant breeze and the inhexaustible water sound make the Blue Water waterfalls one of the most impressive and unforgettable places in Chiapas.

The popular art, gastronomy and tha particular parties of each ethnic group give the different places an especial touch. One of the most important festivities is the Chamula carnival that starts the weekend before the Ash Wednesday in the town of San Juan Chamula.

Chiapas has a great culinary tradition as product of the cultural fusion between spanish people and indians. The Chiapas gastronomy is close together with the prehispanic past; with corn as main element to make tamales, the Chiapas dish by excellence and a fundamental part of celebrations. The tamales are made with different recipes as: chipilin, mole, cambray and pictes among others.

In order to enjoy the food is absolutely necessary to drink delicios and fesh beverages such as the tascalate and the pozol. The tascalate is made of corn, cacao and achiote, and the pozol is made with corn and cacao.

A colorful parade of parachicos (dancers with wood masks, ixtle wigs and color sarapes) and chiapanecas (women dressed with the traditional black outfit with flowers) goes all around the city in the third week of January. The celebration is made in honor of the benefactor Maria de Angulo who supported the population in times of poverty. The poarty ends with a naval combat at the Grijalva river the night of the 21st of the same month.

In San Jaun Chamula, the party ends during the Kin Tajimultik, the most known indian party of Chiapas. During the Chamula Carnival special masses are given and masked men parades are done; on Tuesday of carnivals purification ceremony is done, also some dances that describe past mayan legends take place.

In the city of Tuxtla Gutierrez the Marimba festival takes place in honor to the Chiapas musical instrument, the marimba (Xylophone). To this important Festival people from Mexico and from all over the world assist.

The marimba is an instrument that arises from the mix of the indian in Chiapas and foreigners, all of this comes from Africa and Europe with the touch and Chiapas idiosyncracy.