Chiapas

Chiapas, a state in the southeast of Mexico, is full of contrasts. Its geographical and cultural diversity, complex history, natural richness and variety of ethnic groups make it one of the country's most attractive tourist destinations.

Chiapas is virtually synonymous with nature. This green strip of Mexico contains one of the most complex biotic diversities in the country. It has mountain ranges, rivers, volcanoes, plains, canyons, waterfalls, lakes, cloud forests, coast and savannah. Much of its territory is considered a nature reserve, and supports an astonishing range of flora and fauna. Its attractions include archaeological sites, colonial cities, nature reserves, Indian communities, beaches and places for engaging in open-air sports and ecotourism.

Cañón del Sumidero

The Sumidero Canyon is a spectacular fissure, located about 40 km from Tuxtla Gutiérrez. Its cliffs are 900 meters above sea level and a result of a geological fault during the Pleistocene. The Río Grijalva flows through the Canyon and creates a marvellous 25 km long reservoir, dammed by the hydroelectric dam-Manuel Moreno Torres, best known as Chicoasén. By a boat-trip (lancha) one can speed between the canyon's towering rock walls and admiring the tightly packed vegetation and the waterfowls that gratify the atmosphere of Chiapas' forests. The Canyon can be viewed also from above at five miradores (lookout points).

San Cristóbal de las Casas

Arriving in the beautiful colonial town of San Cristóbal de las Casas, at 2100 m, lifts you up into a different world. The city is the heart of one of the most deeply rooted indigenous areas in Mexico, surrounded by dozens of Tzotzil and Tzeltal villages where age-old customs coexist with elements of modernity.

It's a pleasure to explore San Cristobal's cobbled streets and markets, admiring the colonial buildings such as the Baroque style Cathedral. Visit the Templo y Ex Convento de Santo Domingo de Guzmán, a former convent and one of the most beautiful and symbolic churches in the city. There you can observe curious ornamental motifs of indigenous design and done in plaster.

Later make your way to the archaeological zone of Toniná, located 109 km (68 mi) northeast of San Cristóbal, or visit the indigenous villages of Zinacantan or San Chamula. Upon return to the city, find a restaurant and soaking up the unique ambience and wonderfully clear highland light.

Indigenous villages

Of the 4,2 million people of Chiapas, around 1.25 million are indigenous. This high indigenous presence and the cultural variety it entails are among the most fascinating aspects of the state. Each of the eight principal indigenous peoples of Chiapas has its own language, beliefs and customs.

The most indigenous people are the Tzotziles, who mainly live in a highland area around San Cristóbal de las Casas, and the Tzeltales, between San Cristóbal and the Lacandón Jungle. Their traditional religious life is normally Catholic. Tzotzil and Tzeltal clothing is among the most varied, colourful and elaborately worked in Mexico. It not only identifies wearers? villages but also marks them as inheritors of ancient Maya traditions.

San Juan Chamula is the most visited village around San Cristóbal. The village enjoys a unique autonomous status and they have their own police force. It?s the centre for some unique religious practices - although conflicts between adherents of traditional Catholicism and converts to evangelical, Pentecostal and other branches of Christianity have resulted in the expulsion of Chamulans from their villages.

Very impressive is the visit of the church of San Juan. It is filled with colourful candles, wooden statues of saints and you will smell the burning copal incense. You have to accept the rules of the village so it is strictly forbidden to photograph the village church and the rituals. Further communs close to San Cristóbal are Zinacantán, Tenejapa, San Andrés de Larráinzar or San Pedro Chenalhó.

Cascadas Agua Azul and Misol Ha

These spectacular water attractions are both short off the Ocosingo-Palenque road. Agua Azul is a breathtaking sight, with its powerful and dazzling white waterfalls thundering into turquoise pools surrounded by jungle. The temptation to swim is great, but take care for the power of the falls and the hazards like tides, rocks and dead trees.

Just 20 km south of Palenque, spectacular Misol-Ha cascades 35 m into a wonderful wide pool surrounded by lush tropical vegetation.

Ruinas Palenque

The ancient Maya City of Palenque, setting in the jungle and with its special architecture, is one of the most frequently visited archaeological zones in the country. For many years, Palenque was covered by dense jungle, until the 19th century when it was discovered by adventurers and artists, such as Guillermo Dupaix, Count Waldeck, John L. Stephens, Frederick Catherwood, Désiré Charnay and Alfred P. Maudslay, whose reports made the world aware of the greatness of this city.

This imposing ceremonial centre reached its peak during the Classic period (600-700 AD), when its major buildings were constructed. During this time, it was the capital of a province that comprised the lowlands bordering on the Usumacinta and Grijalva rivers. The set of buildings that can be seen today are only a fraction of what the city once was. Among the most important structures at the site are: El Palacio (The Palace), which has a notable tower that rises above the complex; Los Templos del Sol, de la Cruz and de la Cruz Foliada (The Temple of the Sun, Temple of the Cross and Temple of the Foliated Cross), which surround the Plaza del Sol. There is also the Templo de las Inscripciones (Temple of the Inscriptions).

In 1952, a tomb was discovered under this temple with a beautifully inscribed sarcophagus among the funerary furnishings of King Pakal. The ancient ruler of Palenque ordered the temple's construction, which would also serve as a holy tomb after his death.

The archaeological zone lies within Palenque National Park. Its climate is warm and humid, with altitudes of less than 350 m. The vegetation is mainly tropical forest which supports a wide range of fauna.

The modern Palenque Town is just a few kilometres to the east. It is a sweaty place with limited attraction except as a jumping-off point for the ruins.

Yaxchilán

The archaeological site of Yaxchilan is prototype of a city lost in the jungle. It is located on the shoreline of the Usumacinta river, it raises 10 m above ground in the Lacandon jungle. It origins date back to ten thousand years as the first settlers arrived to the region and it reached its climax during the 550-900 years AD.

The control this location gave it over river commerce and conquests, made Yaxchilán one of the most important Classic Maya cities in the Usumacinta region. Archaeologically, its famed for its ornamented facades and roof combs and its impressive stone lintels carved with conquest and ceremonial scenes. Another special are the monkeys in the treetop. You'll hear their roars and you stand a good chance of seeing some.

Bonampak

Bonampak is an ancient Maya archaeological site, setting in the dense jungle of Chiapas. It dates to the Early Classic period (ca. A.D. 580 to 800). The site spent most of the classic period under the influence of Yaxchilan, that is approximately 30 km away and close to the border with Guatemala. Bonampak is well-known for its astonishing frescoes inside the Templo de las Pinturas (Structure 1). Stories of how the site was revealed in 1946 are full of mystery. First time it was seen by Non-Mayans was by two American travellers, led to the ruins by a Lacandón. Later in 1946 the American photographer Giles Healey came with a native and found the Templo de las Pinturas with its famous murals. The paintings show the story of a single battle and its victorious outcome.