  |
|
|
|
|
| |         
|
|
 THINGS TO KNOW
In mountain villages you have very close knit societies. Any outsider, regardless of intent is immediately suspect. Even villages such as Chamula, which receive a high volume of tourist traffic, will treat a wondering traveler with trepidation. For this reason it is good to travel with a guide if you wish to mill about town and rub elbows with the locals.
Bring a jacket with you because it can get chilly at night.
Robberies do occur but it usually happens to people who set themselves up to be robbed. For example two tourists decided to ride their mountain bikes from Palenque to San Cristobal. On some deserted stretch of mountain road they were robbed of everything. If you are traveling by bus and staying in major cities you have nothing to fear.
When you reach a major city via ADO or Cristobal Colone you will be within a short walking distance from hotels. The city main plaza is usually close by as well as numerous restaurants and stores.
A "Posada" is what you could call a sort of hotel. Sometimes these posadas are extremely grotty with digusting bathrooms. They are however cheap.
You can find a taxi almost anywhere in Chiapas.
Never take a picture of somebody without his or her permission. Playing the dumb tourist will not save you if you do and get caught. Depending on the circumstances and who you photograph you could be placing your self in harms way.
Carry your passport on you when travelling by bus. Quite often the military will ask to see it at checkpoints.
Buses will be stopped at numerous checkpoints throughout Chiapas. Some are Immigration most are military. Usually one or two soldiers get on the bus and search through some bags and look at some passports. If you have a knife they may ask you questions.
If you have no experience sleeping in a hammock and buy one feeling that this is how you are going to sleep you may find it hard to get used to. In most situations you can find a room with a bed if you realize you cannot sleep in a hammock.
Some posada's have no running water except for a shower. |
From 1528, the passage of the Spanish through Chiapas was unstoppable as they founded villages, towns and cities. The aim of their search was to find an ideal place with a favorable climate for the conquerors.
The Jovel valley offered a perfect location. The temperate climate and the strategically sound location defined it as being an ideal place to found the royal city. Today, it is known as San Cristobal de las Casas. The predominantly neoclassical colonial style can be seen today in the cathedral. Equally, in the house of Diego de Mazariegos we can see that the provincial atmosphere is maintained in this sober and proud structure. The Palacio Municipal with the Parque de los Arcos directly behind it, jealously hides the secrets of a glorious past. These structures, together with the baroque shine of Santo Domingo provide a lively image of the mixed culture which reigns high in the plains of Chiapas.
|
|
| Archaeological Sites | Natural Beauties | Cities and Villages | |
  
|
| Traveling to the Yuctan Peninsula visit |
|
|
