Tuxtla Gutiérrez

Tuxtla Gutiérrez is the capital of Chiapas and its largest city, with close to 580,000 people in the municipality at the 2020 census and around 800,000 in the wider metropolitan area. It sits in the hot central valley of the state, about 520 meters above sea level, on the west side of the Grijalva River and right beside the Sumidero Canyon. Zoque villages stood here before the Spanish arrived; the Mexica called the area Tochtlan, the place of rabbits, which became Tuchtla and then Tuxtla. Dominican friars founded San Marcos Tuxtla in 1560, and the name Gutiérrez was added in 1848 to honor the federalist governor Joaquín Miguel Gutiérrez. The state government moved here for good in 1892.

Most travellers pass through on the way to San Cristóbal de las Casas or Chiapa de Corzo, but the city is worth a day or two. In the evenings, marimba bands play in the Parque de la Marimba, a leafy square west of the center where couples of all ages dance. The ZooMAT, named after the naturalist Miguel Álvarez del Toro, shows animals of Chiapas such as jaguars, tapirs, quetzals and spider monkeys in 140 hectares of forest on the city's southern edge; it began in 1942 and moved to the El Zapotal reserve in 1980. Also worth a visit are the Museo Regional de Chiapas, with archaeology and colonial history, and the Faustino Miranda botanical garden, founded in 1949. The white Cathedral of San Marcos on the main plaza has a carillon of 48 bells, and figures of the twelve apostles parade on its facade on the hour.

The road north out of the city climbs to the miradores of the Sumidero Canyon National Park, a string of viewpoints (La Ceiba, La Coyota, El Tepehuaje, El Roblar and Los Chiapa) that look straight down into the gorge. It is the other half of the canyon experience: boats run on the river from Chiapa de Corzo, while from Tuxtla you see it from the top. The city is hot all year, especially in April and May, and most rain falls between May and October. Tuxtla is also a practical base, with the state's main airport, frequent buses to the rest of Chiapas and a wide choice of hotels. Try the local food: tamales of chipilín, cochito horneado and cold pozol, the maize and cacao drink sold everywhere.