Getting Oriented in Chiapas and Tabasco

Chiapas is Mexico's southernmost state. And if the villages here resemble those of the Guatemalan Highlands, it's because Guatemala lies just beyond the eastern border. To the west lies Oaxaca, and to the south is one of Mexico's last stretches of relatively undeveloped coastline. Inland, mountain roads are full of hairpin turns hugging the edges of ravines. To the north is the mostly flat, pastoral state of Tabasco.

• San Cristóbal de las Casas. A handsome highland town in a valley where pine forests are interspersed with vegetable fields, San Cristóbal straddles two worlds. Here indigenous women with babies tied tightly in colorful shawls share the main square with teenagers on cell phones. Graceful colonial-era buildings house shops selling DVD players.
• Tuxtla Gutiérrez and Chiapa de Corzo. The capital of Chiapas, hard-working Tuxtla Gutiérrez, isn't a destination in itself. You're better off staying in the village of Chiapa de Corzo closer to the stunning Cañón del Sumidero.
• The Road to Palenque. Winding through the mountains, this road leads to many interesting sights, including waterfalls, the inspiring ruins of Toniná, and small villages where people still wear traditional dress.
• Palenque and Environs. One of the jewels of the Mayan civilization, the ancient city of Palenque sits shrouded with mist. Nearby are two other equally fascinating ruins, Bonampak and Yaxchilán. Palenque Town makes a good base for all explorations.
• Tabasco. Tabasco has lakes, lagoons, caves, and wild rivers that surge through the jungle. Most people who visit Tabasco's capital, Villahermosa, are traveling for business (this is oil country), but the city has an excellent museum and a collection of massive Olmec heads and altars.
• Southeastern Chiapas. One of the most beautiful parts of Mexico, Selva Lacandona has the Western Hemisphere's second-largest remaining rain forest. For centuries this has been the homeland of the Lacandón, a people descended from the Maya.