We have always wanted to explore this city since we heard so many nice things about it. After almost three months of resting in our house in Colima, we were ready for another adventure.
We flew to the city of Tuxtla Gutierrez in the state of Chiapas, which is where the international airport is located, then took a shuttle to San Cristobal de las Casas. It's a 45 minute ride through the mountains with amazing views of the canyons!
As soon as we entered the city the first thing we noticed was the Spanish colonial architecture with red tile roofs and cobblestone streets.
This city is very walkable so we spent long hours exploring it. We couldn't stop admiring its beauty! Full of history, culture, traditions, an amazing architecture and surrounded by green mountains make San Cristobal a very mystic place.
The mix of people between locals, indigenous and Europeans, who decided to make this magical town their home, gives it a very interesting and eclectic touch.
By having these different cultures is that you can find a nice fusion of international and local restaurants... Italian, French, Lebanese, Thai, Argentinian and Colombian are some of the international cuisine you can find here.
This place is perfect to go out for a walk, sit down at one of the parks to read a book or go to one of the many outdoor cafes to spend some quality time with friends and loved ones.
The Mayan indigenous who live in this region give San Cristobal a very colorful touch. We had the opportunity of visiting some of these towns and learned about them.
They have a very simple but very rich way of living and their culture is full of traditions. Women dedicate their time to take care of their families and work weaving colorful textiles to sell at the local art and craft market. Men are the providers so they work in the fields, growing all kind of vegetables, fruits and flowers to sell at the big local farmers market.
Getting to know about these people made us appreciate them more, because they base their lives in a very spiritual way and their goal is to have a happy life without worrying to much about the material stuff.
We also learned that people from these groups can leave the villages and go to the big cities to live a more modern life but, they're not allowed to come back.
We wanted to be more adventurous and explore the jungle of Chiapas, so we took a tour to Palenque which is a Mayan ruin about five hours drive from San Cristobal.
Driving through the sierra of Chiapas was an experience! We had the opportunity of admiring amazing views of the canyons and we stopped at different points to appreciate nature and gorgeous waterfalls.
Being in Palenque was such an educating experience and walking around this Mayan city was like being transported to a different era.
We couldn't leave San Cristobal without going to the Sumidero Canyon. This amazing natural beauty is a must do while visiting this city. It is a short 30 min drive from town, and for $300 pesos a tour company can take you in a comfortable shuttle including the boat ride.
The boat takes you for a calm but exciting experience on the Grijalba river, going through the magnificent canyons and appreciating nature.
The state of Chiapas has so much nature and colorful towns to visit. They had many social issues with the Zapatistas revolutionaries back in 1990's, but now in days is a very safe tourist destination in Mexico.
Safe travels my friends!
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