San Cristóbal de las Casas
Pueblo MáGico / Ciudad Colonial · San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas
A cold colonial town at 2,200 metres in the Chiapas highlands, founded in 1528 and named for Bartolome de las Casas, the Dominican bishop who spent his life arguing that indigenous people were people. It is surrounded by Tzotzil and Tzeltal Maya villages that were never assimilated and are not museums - the women in the market are wearing what they wear, and the town's market is their market. On 1 January 1994 the Zapatistas took this city, on the day NAFTA came into force, and Chiapas has been politically its own country ever since. Pine-covered mountains, amber, coffee, fog, and the coldest nights of any town in this guide give it a character unlike the rest of Mexico: long-stay travellers, good cafes, pedestrian streets and cheap lodging. Plan three or four days, bring a warm jacket, ask about road blockades before every trip, and respect the strict photography rules in the villages, especially San Juan Chamula. Palenque and the Lagunas de Montebello are the main onward trips.
Plaza 31 de Marzo, Centro, San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, 29200, Mexico
An open town - free, no gate. Museums including Na Bolom and the amber museum keep daytime hours and generally close on Mondays. ⚠ SAN JUAN CHAMULA, 10 km away, charges a small village fee paid at the village office, and ⚠ PHOTOGRAPHY INSIDE THE CHURCH AND OF PEOPLE IS ABSOLUTELY FORBIDDEN - cameras have been confiscated and visitors detained. Go with a local guide. Sunday is market day at Chamula. ⚠ ROAD BLOCKADES CLOSE CHIAPAS HIGHWAYS WITHOUT NOTICE, including the routes to Palenque, Tuxtla and Montebello - ask locally on the morning of any road trip. ⚠ ALTITUDE 2,200 METRES AND NIGHTS APPROACH FREEZING IN WINTER, with almost no heated buildings. ⚠ HOURS AND PRICES NOT VERIFIED FOR THIS FILE.
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