For today's travelers, as for the Spaniards of the 16th century, arriving in Chiapas from the Gulf Coast or from central Mexico means arriving in a territory inhabited since ancient times by the Zoques, an ethnic group related to the ancient Olmecs.
In the midst of valleys and high mountains, warm and temperate zones, high and low jungles and pine forests, the northwest of Chiapas offers incomparable landscapes and the legacy of evangelization represented by the temples of the XVI century. The tour begins in Tuxtla Gutierrez, the capital and largest city of Chiapas, which also shows the Zoque essence. This is a different Chiapas for the traveler. The Zoques were among the first potters and agricultural peoples of Mesoamerica, who in recent times have contributed to the great works of modern engineering in a region of ancient roots and deep cultural manifestations, a legacy that has been passed down for millennia; customs that have governed the way of celebrating rituals and festivals. A living tradition that endures to this day.
On this route, the tourist will enjoy an encounter with living cultures with a rich gastronomy, traditions, popular art, as well as ancestral customs that are worth knowing. Here you can also learn about the historical and architectural value of the temples built in the sixteenth century, repositories of artistic works (sculptures, altarpieces, paintings) in Tecpatán, Copainalá, Tapalapa, Chapultenango and Rayón.
The offer is complemented by natural wonders such as the Sima de las Cotorras, the crater of the Chichonal Volcano, the Coapilla Lagoon, the waterfall of El Aguacero and the Arco del Tiempo, these last two places within the La Venta River Canyon, all ideal sites for nature tourism activities.
In Chiapas 12 indigenous languages are currently spoken, whose speakers, in addition to having a common language that identifies and characterizes them, preserve their particular dress, beliefs, traditions and way of being, a situation that gives them uniqueness and make up a colorful and varied cultural mosaic.
In this geographical area of Chiapas, one of the least studied groups predominates, which makes them even more fascinating: the Zoques, who occupy the northwestern part of the state of Chiapas and whose language is disappearing due to modernity. The women continue to wear traditional clothing on special days, consisting of a long colored or checkered skirt, depending on the region, and a huipil or white blouse with extraordinary embroidery around the neck.
The traditions and customs that are still preserved today, sustain their ethnic identity. The ritual practices and pre-Hispanic beliefs that still survive today as vestiges of the festivals and rituals of our primitive indigenous roots that united us thanks to the geography, language and history of this wonderful culture.
January 31 to February 5
Virgin of Candelaria
Place: Copainalá, Chiapas
January 31 to February 5
Virgin of Candelaria
Place: San Fernando, Chiapas
March 1 to 31
Coiteco Carnival
Place: Ocozocoautla de Espinosa, Chiapas
March 5 to May 10
Feast of San Vicente Ferrer
Place: Copainalá, Chiapas
April 20 to 27
San Marcos Fair
Place: Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas
April 20 to 25
San Marcos Fair
Place: Tecpatán, Chiapas
May 3
Santa Cruz
Place: Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas
July 25
Feast of Señor Santiago
Place: Ocotepec, Chiapas
August 16 to 25
San Roque Fair
Place: Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas
August 16 to 20
San Bernardo Fair
Place: Tapilula, Chiapas
September 13 to 16
National holidays
Place: Chiapas
October 4
The Calvary
Place: Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas
December 12
Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe
Place: Chiapas
Chiapas surprises for its biodiversity, but also for its natural resources, as well as for the tourism possibilities found in its great rivers, lakes, majestic mountains and multitude of canals and estuaries on the coast, with their own characteristics that form an intricate network of possibilities where plant and animal life has found the ideal environments for each form of life represented in Chiapas.
This region of Mexico is one of the areas with the greatest biodiversity and habitats distributed in numerous ecosystems. For this reason, it is said that with the exception of the desert and the eternal snows, all the environments that are present in the national territory are found in this marvelous land.
In Tuxtla Gutierrez it is possible to buy handicrafts of all kinds and from all over the state, textiles, pottery, carved wood, basketry, among others. The store of the "Instituto Casa de las Artesanías de Chiapas" is a good option to acquire high quality products.
In the traditional markets it is possible to acquire various pieces of amber jewelry, the Chiapas gem, as well as utilitarian articles made of leather or tin. The typical articles of popular art of Tuxtla Gutierrez are the birthday crowns, made of paper and sold in markets as well as popular stores.
In Tecpatán and Copainalá it is possible to find beautiful embroidered textiles in the Zoque tradition. The women's blouses, handmade by artisans, depict geometric figures that represent their cosmovision.
In Coapilla handicrafts are made with the technique of saddlery, made of leather, with great skill and beauty.
Tecpatán stands out for its carved gourds and bules, as well as sgraffito with traditional motifs. The carved gourds of Tecpatán preserve the art of the Zoque hands, which draw slender figures with shapes that enhance the beauty of these objects.
It should not be forgotten that Tuxtla Gutiérrez is one of the centers of production and diffusion of the marimba, an integrating musical instrument because in its construction the three sources of Chiapas converge: the original cultures plus those of Spain and Africa.
At the beginning of the XVII century, Tomás Gage described the province of the Zoques as "the most prosperous of the territory of Chiapa '', possessing the best cochineal in America and its inhabitants as "sharp and ingenious people ''.
In those times, to enter the sea of mountains that constitutes this area of Chiapas was an arduous undertaking. Today, modern highways bring travelers closer to prodigious scenery. This route allows you to peek into a world marked by the magnificent vestiges of the evangelization of the sixteenth century, in a tour of colonial architecture and art with few comparisons in the country.
It is also the opportunity to experience the roots of the Zoque culture, which are expressed in festive and ritual aspects.
Of course, this identity is also manifested in the gastronomy that is in the chipilín soup, the jacuané tamale and in ritual dishes such as putzatsé or huacasis caldu, to mention some outstanding samples.
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