3 Best Sights in Chiapas and Tabasco, Mexico

The Cañón del Sumidero, a canyon north of Chiapa de Corzo, came into being about 36 million years ago, carved out by the Río Grijalva, which flows north along the canyon's floor. The fissure, which meanders for some 23 km (14 miles), is perhaps the most interesting landscape in the region.

You can admire the Cañón del Sumidero from above, as there are five lookout points along the highway. But the best way to see it is from one of the dozens of boats that travel to the canyon from the Embarcadero in Chiapa de Corzo (two blocks south of the main square) between 8 and 4 daily. Two-hour rides cost about $15 per person, and for about $30 you can spend the day in the ecopark of the canyon. From the boat you can admire the nearly vertical walls that rise 3,500 feet at their highest point. As you coast along, consider the fate of the Chiapa people who reputedly jumped into the canyon rather than face slavery at the hands of the Spaniards during the 16th century. Tour operators in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, San Cristóbal de las Casas, Palenque, and even as far away as Villahermosa offer excursions here.

Life in this small town on the banks of the Río Grijalva revolves around the Plaza Angel Albino Corzo. In the center is the unusual Fuente Mudéjar, or Moorish Fountain. The structure, built in 1562, once supplied the town with water. Said to be in the shape of the crown of the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, it is a mishmash of Moorish, Gothic, and Renaissance styles.

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.