Surprising Chiapas
Mexico's Most Mayan State

By Toni Dabbs

It's just after 11 a.m. on a Sunday, but business is unexpectedly brisk at the Restaurant Familiar El Vercel del Paladino.

The tour bus has a flat tire, and while driver and guide supervise its repair in the bright Mexican sun, we passengers head for the well shaded restaurant patio, order cervezas all around and discuss what little we know about Mexican politics.

We're exploring the state of Chiapas and have stopped to change the tire in Ocosingo, the first town to be taken by Zapatista forces in 1994. A ceasefire has been in effect for several years now, the struggle for political change and peasant rights being waged with words rather than bullets, so if we should encounter any Zapatistas, we wouldn't recognize them without their masks and AK-47 rifles.

Mexico's southernmost state and one of its poorest, Chiapas sits on the border with Guatemala. Of its 3.4 million inhabitants, about 700,000 are descendants of the Maya and other ethnic minorities. It's a region that cannot be visited in a hurry. Long and sometimes grueling drives are required to negotiate the rugged yet beautiful landscapes between cities. Flat tires are not uncommon.

Even without the uncertainties of an active revolution, Chiapas turns out to be a place of surprises. The first comes shortly after our flight lands at Aeropuerto Teran in Tuxtla-Gutierrez, the bustling state capital. We board our tour bus and head straight for, of all things, a zoo.

Despite Chiapas having the highest concentration of animal species in all North America, many are threatened or in danger of extinction and most live in inaccessible areas, so visitors are unlikely to see them in the wild.

Zoologico Miguel Alvarez del Toro, or ZooMAT, breeds certain species for release (the red macaw and spider monkey, for example) and works to protect Chiapan ecosystems. Considered one of the finest zoos in Latin America, it occupies 25 hectares (62 acres) of the small El Zapotal reserve and contains 800 animals representing 250 species native to Chiapas. Some roam freely, the rest are in environments that resemble their native habitats.

Among the mammals in residence are pumas, ocelots and jaguars. Birds include the majestic zopilote rey, the ocellated turkey and the quetzal, sacred bird of the ancient Maya.

A trip up the river

Eighteen kilometers (11 miles) north of Tuxtla-Gutierrez is Sumidero Canyon. Outside the pretty colonial town of Chiapa de Corzo, site of the first Spanish settlement in the area, visitors can board small passenger launches for a pleasant two-hour, 35-kilometer (22-mile) trip along the Grijalva River between the canyon's 1,000-meter-high (3,300-foot) sandstone walls. A local legend claims that 16th century Chiapans hurled themselves by the hundreds into the gorge rather than submit to Spanish domination.

Sumidero Canyon is one place where wildlife is easily seen. Visitors can spot cormorants, egrets, herons, vultures and other birds feeding at the river's edge, while the boat operator points out the occasional crocodile lurking near shore.

The road between Tuxtla-Gutierrez and San Cristobal de las Casas winds into the Chiapas highlands, where mists drift in and out of pine forests. Brilliant against this background are the blouses worn by Tzotzil women that we pass, embroidered in purple, magenta and teal.

Before reaching San Cristobal, we take a detour into the past. San Juan Chamula, 10 kilometers northwest of San Cristobal, is a town of Tzotzil origin that has changed little with the centuries. Its people continue to live, dress and worship much as their Mayan ancestors did.

Church at San Juan Chamula is the center for a fascinating melange of Catholicism and Maya spiritualism. Photo by Toni Dabbs

The walls inside Chamula's little white church, trimmed like a cake in teal and gold, are lined with brightly painted wooden cabinets. Behind their glass fronts sit statues of pale faced saints, elements of Catholicism introduced by the Spanish. However, hung around each saint's neck is a mirror to reflect the sun god.

A haze hangs above the church floor where hundreds of candles are stuck, leaving barely enough room for worshipers in between. Men carry bottles of posh, a sugarcane liquor used for communicating with the gods. Some women place eggs in front of saints, and a few hold chickens ready for sacrifice.

San Cristobal seems modern by comparison, its colonial buildings mingling with examples of 19th century architecture. The perimeter of the Zocalo, a combination park and outdoor social center, is especially attractive, with the terra cotta-colored Cathedral on one side.

Another church of interest is Santo Domingo, four blocks north. In front of its elaborate baroque facade, Chamulan women conduct a daily crafts market. The adjacent Dominican monastery houses a museum and a shop displaying the region's best hand-woven textiles.

Beyond San Cristobal, pine forests give way to corn fields as we bump along a lengthy stretch of rough road. We actually welcome our unscheduled stop in Ocosingo. We welcome even more the surprise that awaits us an hour later, when we arrive at Agua Azul.

Situated about 4.5 kilometers (3 miles) off the highway, Agua Azul is an area of the Shumulija River where a series of natural turquoise pools and white waterfalls cascade down a jungle-clad hillside. To us, it appears like an oasis in the middle of nowhere, but it's very popular with Mexican families on weekends and holidays. Visitors can swim in the refreshing pools, take a jungle walk upstream, and eat at one of several cafes near the base of the hill.

On to Palenque

Temple of the Sun exhibits the best preserved roofcomb at Palenque. Photo by Toni Dabbs

Our final stop in Chiapas is Palenque, a classic Mayan ceremonial center (circa 100-900 A.D.). The setting for the archaeological site is dramatic, a grassy mountaintop clearing surrounded by jungle, but it's easily accessed. Major structures include the Temple of the Inscriptions, containing the tomb of seventh century ruler Pacal, and the Palace, a maze of courtyards, corridors and rooms decorated with stucco reliefs.

Another group of buildings on a plateau southeast of the Palace includes the Temple of the Sun, which exhibits the best preserved roofcomb at Palenque. Below a slope north of the Palace is a good example of a ball court.

As we approach the border into the state of Tabasco to catch our flight from Villahermosa, we're reminded that Chiapas is still a crossroad between Mexico and Central America. Armed guards who speak little English stop us at the checkpoint and have a dog sniff our luggage.

We all agree that it might not be wise to visit the region unescorted, whereas our experienced guide and skilled driver have ensured that we had a rewarding trip.