Chiapas

C h i a p a s

Reputations can be quite misleading sometimes. Mexico’s southernmost state, Chiapas, is a place sadly renowned for so many wrong reasons. It is where the Zapatistas movement in the mid-90’s gained its momentum and has since been known as a violent and dangerous place filled with bandits and revolutionaries. Even my Mexican friends in Guadalajara warned me against traveling in this region, and were especially against taking the night busses. The truth is Chiapas turned out to be a wonderful place filled with jungle scenery, waterfalls, ancient Mayan cities, and some of the friendliest people in the world.

Chiapas’ main attractions are the ancient Mayan city Palenque, as well as the popular backpacker’s hub San Cristóbal de las Casas. San Cristóbal has been a haven for backpackers for decades now and it was also the first place in Chiapas on my itinerary. I did not heed the warnings given by North Mexican friends and went ahead and took the night bus from Oaxaca. There had been recent reports of bandits on this road but I did not want to loose 12 daylight hours. The danger warnings turned out to be nonsensical anyway as I made better use of my time and met a lovely family on the bus who later housed and fed me in San Cristóbal.

Above: the Misol-Ha waterfall
Left:An unmasked Subcomadante Marcos after a Semana Santa nightout in Chiapas.

Eastern Chiapas is located at the edge of the Lacandón Jungle, where the Mayans made the center of their civilization during the first millennium. The jungle runs all the way into Central America via Guatemala and runs into the Chiapas Highlands, where San Cristóbal Las Casas is located. The tropical climate, altitude and jungle give San Cristóbal a temperate climate with an eerie morning mist that greeted us as we arrived in the city.

I was fortunate enough to be in Mexico during the Semana Santa and San Cristóbal Las Casas was especially festive during this time. There were music performances and dances in the Zocalo and there were mini markets and stalls scattered throughout. The main market, Mercado Municipal is a colorful market with merchants selling indigenous paraphernalia. Some of the most noticeable of these items were little Subcomandante Marcos dolls, as well as other Zapatista souvenirs and clothing items.

Right: A boatride down the Canon Del Somidero captures spectacular views such as this

San Cristóbal is much smaller and compact than Oaxaca, but it was still packed with life and excitement, as well as a thriving bar scene. Located in the Valle de Jovel, there are also many fascinating getaways and day trips. One of these is a boat ride down the Canon Del Sumidero, which takes you on a splendid journey down the Rio Grijalva, through some fantastic rock formations and rapids. As Chiapas is heavily populated by indigenous peoples, a visit to one of nearby indigenous villages of San Juan Chamula or Zinacantan is also highly recommend.

After a couple of days in San Cristóbal Las Casas, I caught a night bus to the nearby village of Palenque. The town of Palenque is a rather dingy little town with nothing too impressive to see. This is not what that attracts hoards of tourists here anyway. It is the nearby ruins of the ancient Mayan city that they have come for. The Mayans were the Western Hemisphere’s dominant civilization between the years 250-900 AD. At their peak, the Mayans occupied much of what is now South Mexico and Guatemala. During this time they built several impressive cities of stone pyramids and hieroglyphics. The two biggest of these were Palenque and Tikal (now in Guatemala).

Palenque was apparently constructed in the 7th century under the guidance of legendary Mayan ruler Pakal, who is also buried there. The ruins, located in the Lacandón Jungle, are best captured at sunrise when there are few tourists and the early morning mist creates a nostalgic romance of what life must have been like some 1400 years ago. Do be sure to dress lightly for the occasion however as the tropical jungle setting makes this place so humid that it is virtually unbearable!

Right: Another view of Palenque

Left: The Agua Azul are a spectacular collection of waterfalls and pools.

Visitors to Palenque must be sure not to miss some of the other nearby attractions the region offers – especially the waterfalls. After spending the morning at the Palenque ruins, I caught a combi bus to the nearby Misol-Ha waterfall and the even more impressive Agua Azul. The latter is a series serene waterfalls and pools that are both a joy to see as well as swim in. There has been much debate over whether or not the most spectacular Mayan ruins are Chiapas’ Palenque or Guatemala’s Tikal. Realizing that there was only way to find out, after a night in Palenque - I took off the next day for Guatemala.

Questions or comments, email me @ glennaldo_sf@hotmail.com

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