WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO DO?
San Cristóbal de las Casas
Take
a flight to Tuxtla Gutiérrez and then transfer to a
bus until you reach the town of San Cristóbal de las Casas, located 85 km (53 mi) best of the capital of Chiapas. Choose a hotel near the main plaza and
then go out to stroll the streets and admire the colonial buildings such as the
Baroque style Cathedral. Located just north of the Plaza 31 de Marzo, the interior of this building is covered in
adornments made of plaster (a mix of inorganic materials) and whose Solomon style altarpieces stand out. Next, walk along
the Plaza 31 de Marzo where you will find beautiful
20th century kiosk which plays host to numerous artistic and popular
activities. 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. Yet another
is the Casa de La Sirena (House of the Mermaid), one of the oldest
civilian constructions in the city, distinguished by the animal figures that
decorate its walls and columns as well as for the mermaid found in one corner.
Later make your way to the archeological zone of Toniná, located 109 km (68 mi) northeast of San Cristóbal, where you can acquaint yourself with the
Palacio de las Grecas y la Guerra (Palace of the Inlays and the War), and a
stone manuscript known as the "Mural de los Cuatro
Soles," that represents the myth of the four cosmogonic
eras. After that, visit the Cascada
El Chorreadero, a spectacular waterfall of 25 meter (82 feet), where you can go spelunking or swim in its natural pools. Upon return to the city, find a restaurant
and enjoy a delicious cocido (a soup of pork, beef and vegetable
stocks accompanied by a refreshing tascalate (a
beverage of fermented corn).
