Las Margaritas

Las Margaritas is the seat of the municipality of the same name, set among hills at about 1,520 metres, with the municipality running east to the Guatemalan border. The 2020 census counted 24,326 people in the town and 141,027 in the municipality. The climate is temperate, with rain concentrated in summer and autumn (around 1,070 mm a year).

The name comes from an old hamlet in the Comitán district; local tradition says three women famed for their beauty, all called Margarita, lived there. Governor José Pantaleón Domínguez made it a pueblo and municipal seat by decree on 9 December 1871. Its first settlers were mestizos and Tojolabal families, and Tojolabal is still the most spoken indigenous language in the municipality, with over 20,000 speakers. The road to Comitán was paved in 1970.

The parish church of Santa Margarita de Antioquía, built in 1864, is the oldest building in town and gives its name to the main fiesta on 20 July, when communities bring musical offerings and women wear regional dress. The municipal economy runs on maize, beans, coffee and tomatoes, plus timber, brickmaking and some crafts.

On 1 January 1994 EZLN fighters took the Municipal Palace and left on 3 January; La Realidad, the former Zapatista headquarters, lies inside the municipality. Part of Lagunas de Montebello National Park is also within its borders. There are archaeological sites with no tourist facilities, such as Xintahual and San Joaquín.