Chiapas and Tabasco
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Chiapas and Tabasco - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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21. Iglesia de San Sebastián
Religious Building/Site/ShrineOn the hill above the Iglesia de San Juan Bautista are the ruins of the Iglesia de San Sebastián. This church was built with stones from the Mayan temple that once stood on the site. Surrounding it is the old cemetery, an especially colorful place on the Day of the Dead, November 1.
San Juan Chamula, Chiapas, MexicoSight Details
Rate Includes: $1 -
22. Izapa
A lesser-known archaeological site, just 15 minutes from Tapachula, on the road to Talismán, the Izapa ruins are said to provide a link between Olmec and early Maya cultures. Closest to Tapachula are groups A and B, down a marked road off the highway. Group A is in a state of neglect, but Group B has a huge pyramid and some well-preserved stelae. The largest and most impressive ruins are Group F, visible from the highway. They are less than 1 km (½ mile) farther along the road, on the left. This fully restored ceremonial center—complete with pyramids, a ball court, altars, and stelae—enjoyed its heyday around 300 to 200 BC.
Chiapas, Mexico962-626–4173Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
23. Las Grutas de Rancho Nuevo
CaveSpectacular limestone stalactites and stalagmites are illuminated along a 2,475-foot concrete walkway inside the labyrinthine caves known as Las Grutas de Rancho Nuevo (or Las Grutas de San Cristóbal), which were discovered in 1960. Kids from the area are usually available to guide you for a small fee. You can rent horses ($5 per half hour) for a ride around the surrounding pine forest, and there's a small restaurant and picnic area. Many tour operators offer trips here, and that's the option we strongly recommend. The caves are also a quick taxi ride from town.
, Chiapas, MexicoSight Details
Rate Includes: $1 per car plus 50¢ per person -
24. Museo Arqueológico del Soconusco
Museum/GalleryA small museum inside the Palacio Municipal displays 25 stelae and other archaeological artifacts from the nearby ruins of Izapa, as well as photos of excavations sites in the region.
8a. Av. Norte número 24, , Chiapas, Mexico962-626-4173Sight Details
Rate Includes: $1, Closed Mon. -
25. Museo de Historia de Tabasco
Covered with dazzlingly elaborate cobalt tiles, the building housing the Museo de Historia de Tabasco was originally called the Casa de los Azulejos (House of the Tiles). The mansion would be over the top even without the cherubs reclining along the roof. The museum's collection is a bit sparse, but the individual pieces—an anchor from the days that pirates patrolled the Gulf of Mexico, a carriage from the reign of dictator Porfirio Díaz—help bring the past to life.
Av. Juárez 402, Villahermosa, Tabasco, 86030, Mexico993-314–2172Sight Details
Rate Includes: $1.50, Tues.–Sun. 10–8 -
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26. Museo de la Historia Natural
Museum/GalleryThe compact Museo de la Historia Natural is just outside the entrance to the Parque-Museo La Venta. Of the most interest at this Natural History Museum are the displays of Tabasco's native plants and animals.
Blvd. Ruíz Cortines s/n, Villahermosa, Tabasco, 86030, MexicoSight Details
Rate Includes: $1, Closed Mon. -
27. Museo de la Laca
About a block south of Plaza Ángel Albino Corzo is a massive church called the Ex-Convento de Santo Domingo de Guzmán. It houses the Museo de la Laca, which has a modest collection of carved and painted jícaras (gourds). The foreign examples are from as close as Guatemala and as far away as Asia.
Calle Mexicanidad de Chiapas 10, Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas, 29160, Mexico961-616–0055Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Mon. -
28. Museo de la Medicina Maya
Few travelers venture here—a shame, because the Museum of Mayan Medicine is fascinating. Displays describe the complex system of medicine employed by the local indigenous cultures. Instead of one healer, they have a team of specialists who are called on for different illnesses. The most interesting display details the role of the midwife, who assists the mother and makes sure the child isn't enveloped by evil spirits. The museum is about 1 km (½ mile) north of the Mercado Municipal. Taxis are plentiful.
Av. Salomon González Blanco 10 (an extension of Av. General Utrilla), San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, 29230, Mexico967-678–5438Sight Details
Rate Includes: $2, Daily 10–5 -
29. Museo de Trajes Regionales/Yok Chij
Passing by this unsigned and slightly ramshackle colonial-era house, you'd never guess it was one of the city's best museums. It's also one of the hardest to get into—you need to call a day ahead for an appointment. But the effort is well worth it. Sergio Castro's collection of colorful clothing from the villages surrounding San Cristóbal is unparalleled. He explains how different factors—geography, climate, even the crops grown in a certain area—influenced how locals dressed. In explaining their dress, he is explaining their way of life. Each ribbon hanging from a hat, each stitch on an embroidered blouse has a meaning. Castro has spent a lifetime working with indigenous peoples; he currently runs a clinic to treat burn victims. Many of the ceremonial costumes were given to him as payment for his work in the communities. Castro gives 90-minute tours in English, Spanish, Italian, and French.
Calle Guadalupe Victoria 38, San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, 29200, Mexico967-678–4289Sight Details
Rate Includes: $2 -
30. Museo del Ambar de Chiapas
CentroNext to the graceful Ex-Convento de la Merced, this museum has exhibits showing how and where amber is mined, as well as its function in Mayan and Aztec societies. You'll see samples of everything from fossils to recently quarried pieces to sculptures and jewelry. Labels are in Spanish only; ask for an English-language summary. The volunteer staff can explain how to distinguish between real amber and fake.
Calle Diego de Mazariegos s/n, San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, 29240, Mexico967-678–9716Sight Details
Rate Includes: $2, Closed Mon. -
31. Museo Ik'al Ojov
Museum/GalleryThe Museo Ik'al Ojov, on the street behind the church, is in a typical home and displays Zinacantán costumes through the ages.
Zinacantán, Chiapas, MexicoSight Details
Rate Includes: Donation suggested -
32. Museo Mesoamericano del Jade
CentroJade was prized as a symbol of wealth and power by Olmec, Teotihuacán, Mixtec, Zapotec, Maya, Toltec, and Aztec nobility, and this museum shows jade pieces from different Mesoamerican cultures. The most impressive piece is a reproduction of the sarcophagus lid from Pakal's tomb, at Palenque. If asking for directions, remember that J in Spanish carries an H sound, making the word “jade” pronounced “HAH-day.“
Av. 16 de Septiembre 16, San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, 29200, Mexico967-678–1121Sight Details
Rate Includes: $3 -
33. Museo Regional de Antropología Carlos Pellicer Cámara
Many out-of-towners make a beeline for the Museo Regional de Antropología Carlos Pellicer Cámara. On the right bank of the Río Grijalva, the museum is named after the man who donated many of its artifacts. Pellicer, who has been called the "poet laureate of Latin America," was constantly inspired by a love of his native Tabasco. Much of the collection is devoted to Tabasco and the Olmec people, the "inhabitants of the land of rubber" who flourished as early as 1750 BC and disappeared around 100 BC. The Olmec have long been recognized as inventors of the region's numerical and calendrical systems. The pyramid, later copied by the Maya and Aztec cultures, is also attributed to them. Some of the most interesting artifacts on display here are the remnants of their jaguar cult. The jaguar symbolized procreation, and many Olmec sculptures portray half-human, half-jaguar figures or human heads emerging from the mouths of jaguars. Many artifacts from Mexico's ancient cultures are on the upper two floors, from the red-clay dogs of Colima and the nose rings of the indigenous Huichol people of Nayarit to the huge burial urns of the Chontal Maya, who built Comalcalco, a Mayan city near Villahermosa. All the explanations are in Spanish, but the museum is organized in chronological order and is decidedly easy to follow.
Carlos Pellicer Cámara 511, Villahermosa, Tabasco, 86050, Mexico993-312–6344Sight Details
Rate Includes: $1, Closed Mon. -
34. Museo Regional de Chiapas
Northeast of Parque Central, the leafy Parque Madero is a wide swath of greenery in a city mostly covered in concrete. It's home to the Museo Regional de Chiapas. One room focusing on archaeology has an excellent display of pre-Columbian pottery, while the other on history takes over after the arrival of the Spanish. A standout is an octagonal painting of the Virgin Mary dating from the 17th century. All the captions are in Spanish.
Calzado Hombres Illustres 350, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, 29000, Mexico961-612–8360Sight Details
Rate Includes: $3, Closed Mon. -
35. Ora Ton
Centro | Museum/GalleryNear the Iglesia de San Juan Bautista is the small museum called Ora Ton. Inside are examples of traditional dress, exhibits of musical instruments, and photos of important festivals. Admission is with the same ticket you bought for the church.
Calle Cementerio s/n, Centro, San Juan Chamula, Chiapas, 29320, Mexico -
36. Otisa Travel Agency
Tour–SightOtisa Travel Agency gives daily guided tours to the Cañón del Sumidero, Palenque, Yaxchilán, and Bonampak. Horseback-riding trips are also available, as are transfers to and from the airport in Tuxtla Gutiérrez.
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37. Parque Central Miguel Hidalgo
The zócalo anchors every Mexican city and town as the focus of important cultural and social events, and Tapachula is no exception. Marimba, classical, and ambient music is often featured in the gazebo at the center of the park on many afternoons.
Chiapas, Mexico -
38. Pepe Santiago
Tour–SightPepe Santiago, a Lacandón resident associated with Na Bolom since childhood, leads tours daily to San Juan Chamula, Zinacantán, and San Nicolás Buenavista. (Pepe's name is a veritable ticket to acceptance in the more remote regions of Chiapas.) The group leaves Na Bolom promptly at 10 am (they suggest arriving at 9:45) and returns around 3; it's well worth the $30 per person price. Pepe's sister, Teresa Santiago Hernández, also leads tours.
San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico967-678–1418 -
39. Puente San Cristóbal
The 190D toll road between San Cristóbal de las Casas and Tuxtla Gutiérrez takes you across Mexico’s third-highest bridge—and the world’s 46th—a spectacular three-sector girder span, 200 meters (656 feet) above the canyon floor. The bridge gently curves and gradually slopes upward at a 10-percent grade from west to east over its length of 323 meters (1,060 feet). One of the country’s great engineering feats almost didn’t happen, however. The bridge collapsed during its final phase of construction in 2004. Retooling and redesign led to a newer, stronger bridge that opened two years later and completed the new highway between San Cristóbal and Tuxtla. The structure can withstand an earthquake of up to 8.0 magnitude. For obvious reasons, stopping on the bridge is not permitted; you’ll have to take in the views while in motion from the windows of your bus, van, or car.
Carretera 190D, Zinacantán, Chiapas, Mexico -
40. Templo de Santo Domingo
Religious Building/Site/ShrineThis three-block-long complex houses a church, a former monastery, a regional history museum with a great deal to see, and the Templo de la Caridad (Temple of the Sisters of Charity). A two-headed eagle—emblem of the Hapsburg dynasty that once ruled Spain and its American dominions—broods over the pediment of the church, which was built between 1547 and 1569. The pink stone facade (which needs a good cleaning) is carved in an intensely ornamental style known as Baroque Solomonic: saints' figures, angels, and grooved columns overlaid with vegetation motifs abound. The interior has lavish altarpieces, an exquisitely fashioned pulpit, a sculpture of the Holy Trinity, and wall panels of gilded, carved cedar—one of the precious woods of Chiapas that centuries later lured Tabasco's woodsmen to the highlands surrounding San Cristóbal. At the complex's southeast corner you'll find the tiny, humble Templo de la Caridad, built in 1715 to honor the Immaculate Conception. Its highlight is the finely carved altarpiece. Indigenous groups from San Juan Chamula often light candles and make offerings here. (Do not take photos of the Chamula.) The adjacent former convent houses Sna Jolobil, an indigenous cooperative that sells weavings of high quality.
Av. 20 de Noviembre s/n, near Calle Guatemala, San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, 29200, Mexico
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