¡Viva Chiapas!
January 12-28, 2022

This tour begins in Chiapa de Corzo, our first stop in the remarkable state of Chiapas. This town may very well be the Celebration Capital of the Known World, if there is such a thing, and every day will bring us yet another round of festivities.

Chiapa de Corzo offers much more than a nonstop festival and during our stay we will visit artisans and musicians and spend several hours on the water in Sumidero Canyon.

From Chiapa de Corzo we head into the mountains to the lovely Colonial city of San Cristóbal de las Casas, where we will stay at a charming boutique hotel conveniently located right in the heart of the city. This picturesque tile-roofed, cobble-stoned town is home to many unique museums, artist’s workshops and galleries, endless textile shops, countless cafes, churches galore, and one of my favorite mercados in all of Mexico.

While in San Cristóbal we will visit Na Bolom, a research center and museum dedicated to preservation of the Lacandón people; Taller Leñateros workshop; Galeria Muy, a contemporary art museum exhibiting work of local indigenous artists; take a market tour and cooking class at El Tzitz Cooking School, and meet Sergio Castro, a remarkable man who has been building schools and potable water systems and providing free healthcare to the poor of Chiapas for most of his adult life. His collection of traditional clothing and his overview of the cultures of Chiapas offers a very helpful context in which to view this indigenously diverse state.

San Cristóbal is equally renowned for the Maya villages in the highlands surrounding the city. San Juan Chamula and Zinacantán are just a short drive – yet a world – away. Each village has its own distinct spiritual beliefs, social customs, language, and traje (local dress), making this one of the most culturally rich and intriguing regions of Mexico. Our time in the area will include several day trips out to the villages to observe rituals and fiestas and to see the crafts made there.

After our time in San Cristóbal we’ll drive through the verdant mountains of Chiapas to Palenque, stopping along the way to see the waterfalls of Agua Azul and Misol Ha. In Palenque we’ll spend a full day at the Maya ruins and site museum and have a chill day to spend birdwatching in a hammock, relaxing by the pool, or revisiting the ruins for a deeper look.

On our last day together we will drive to Villahermosa in the neighboring state of Tabasco, stopping along the way for another boat trip on Catazajá Lagoon where we’ll see hundreds of iguanas, birds, and perhaps a family or two of monkeys. In Villahermosa there will be time for a visit to the monumental Olmec heads in La Venta park before checking in to our hotel near the airport for flights home.