Chiapas tourist and travel information:

Chiapas is the southernmost state of Mexico, located towards the southeast of the country. Chiapas is bordered by the states of Tabasco to the north, Veracruz to the northwest, and Oaxaca to the west. To the east Chiapas borders Guatemala, and to the south the Pacific Ocean. Chiapas has an area of about 74,211 km2 (28,653 sq mi). The 2005 Mexican census population was 4,293,459 people.

In general Chiapas has a humid, tropical climate. In the north, in the area bordering Tabasco, near Teapa, rainfall can average more than 3,000 mm (120 in) per year. In the past, natural vegetation at this region was lowland, tall perennial rainforest, but this vegetation has been destroyed almost completely to give way to agriculture and ranching. Rainfall decreases moving towards the Pacific Ocean, but it is still abundant enough to allow the farming of bananas and many other tropical crops near Tapachula. On the several parallel "sierras" or mountain ranges running along the center of Chiapas, climate can be quite temperate and foggy, allowing the development of cloud forests like those of the Reserva de la Biosfera el Triunfo, home to a handful of Resplendent Quetzals and Horned Guans.

The state capital city is Tuxtla Gutiérrez; other cities and towns in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las Casas, Comitán, and Tapachula. Chiapas is home to the ancient Mayan ruins of Palenque, Yaxchilán, Bonampak, Chinkultic, and Toniná.


The Maya ruins located in Chiapas are generally very difficult to visit, with the exception of Palenque. Bonampak, Yakchilán and Chinkultic are far from the beaten path and Izapa is in the corner of the state a good trek from the others.


BONAMPAK - Bonampak is reachable by vehicle from Palenque. The trip is about 100 kilometers of sometimes very slow and arduous driving. Bonampak was a very large city from the Classic period and is famous for its brilliant murals depicting 8th century Maya court life, ritual and battle. The murals were preserved for centuries by a coating of calcite washed down from the ceilings. Sacrificial victims are prominent in some of the murals. Computer-assisted reproductions are on display in museums in Mexico City and Villahermosa. Other features include its remote location, jungle vegetation, and abundant wildlife.


The settlement, which reached its peak development in the Late Classic, between 600 and 800 A.D., is of moderate proportions when compared with great Maya centers such as Palenque and Yaxchilán. In fact, Bonampak may have depended politically and culturally on Yaxchilán. The ruins consist of three large architectural groups. On the Great Plaza and the stairway which leads to the acropolis, are several stelae inscribed with long-count dates between 782 and 791 A. D. The acropolis is famous for its three rooms, which contain the mural paintings. These paintings are the best preserved and most important ones we have from the Maya Classic. Some experts believe that the murals tell one story of a battle, through its aftermath, and to the celebration of the victory.


CHINKULTIC - Chinkultic is located about 100 kilometers from the town of San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas near the border with Guatemala. The site is on the edge of a large lake called Lagunas de Montebello. Chinkultic contains around 200 mounds grouped into six clusters, which include a ball court. One Temple called El Mirador, has been partially explored and restored. The site was occupied from the late pre-Classic period until the post-Classic, although it must have reached its peak in the late Classic. Stelae found here have dates going from the years 591 to 897 A.D. The best known relic in Chinkultic is a ball court marker. This unit is circular in form and has as its central motif a player who is seen striking a large ball. It has a date equivalent to the Christian year of 591 A.D.


IZAPA - Izapa is located on the Guatemala - Chiapas border just south of the Volcano Tacana near the city of Tapachula. Izapa is also very close to the Pacific Ocean. The location of this city had large consequences for the inhabitants since it was far removed from the rest of the empire. Its closest Maya neighbor was far away which in those days was a journey that could only be taken by foot, since the Maya did not use the wheel or beasts of burden for transport. The city is very old in terms of the civilization and flourished from around 300 B.C. to 50 A.D. While the city was far removed from the "empire" it still was very Maya in architecture and contained temples, large stairways and monuments containing hieroglyphics of calendars. The site is large (nearly .5 square mile).


PALENQUE - Palenque sits proudly in Palenque National Park in the state of Chiapas and is easiest reached from Villahermosa, Tabasco which is about 120 kilometers away. The modern town of Palenque has many travel options to get to the ruins, and a full range of accommodations. Palenque is considered a major site and compares with Tikal, Copán and Chichen Itzá. Its development peaked in the late Classic period, between 600 and 800 A.D., although its beginnings date to as early as 200 A.D. and was a viable city until some time around 900 A.D.


The region around Palenque is a dense rain forest. The site covers 15 square miles, however, the actual total size and extension of the city is still unknown. The only area explored to date is one fourth of the overall settlement. Here, the majority of the larger structures were built to make full use of the features of the ground. Palenque features many decorative motifs not found anywhere else. Some of these motifs seem almost to be from the Far East, giving rise to speculation about a Maya - Asia connection. To my knowledge, however, there is no real evidence to support the speculation. The studies of hieroglyphics and ceramics indicate that Palenque was a trade center at the end of the classic period and was closely aligned with the cities along the Usumacinta River which are Bonampak and Yaxchilan.


The Palace Complex is certainly one of the most striking buildings at Palenque and dominates the central area of reconstructions. The palace contains a myriad of courtyards and structures with some of the finest inscriptions ever carved by the Maya.


The Temple of Inscriptions, the most famous of Palenque's structures, gets its name from three large panels with hieroglyphic inscriptions located on the temple atop this nine tier, staired base. It is a very interesting temple and besides being the tallest, it also housed the crypt of Pac Kal. For some, this is the most important Maya tomb yet found. The chamber walls have stuccoed portrayals of nine richly attired personages, who may be the nine lords of the night. There is also a stone sarcophagus covered by an engraved tablet. The crypt housed many fine objects. The most famous piece, a jade mosaic death mask. The structure is replete with fine stucco relief's and contains subterranean passages much like those found recently at Ek Balam in the Yucatan.


The Temple of the Sun was built sometime between 642 and 690 A.D. It has one of the best-preserved roof combs of any Maya site. The roof comb had no structural function. It was all show and has been said to be analogous to a headdress worn by a king. Airy and comparatively delicate, the roof combs generally haven't survived the years of abandonment and jungle growth as well as the stronger pyramids. In their time, the roof combs were colorfully painted, and still serve as an inspiration for much contemporary Mexican art and architecture. This Temple's roof is decorated with the beautiful stucco figures.


The Temple of the Jaguar is perhaps the most intriguing example of similarities to Asiatic art. There is a Foliated Cross that resembles one found at Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and some of the bas-reliefs are very similar to those used in Hindu art.


Unlike most Maya cities that depended on cenotes, wells or man made cisterns called chultun. Palenque is near the Otulum River, and water actually crosses the site. There is evidence of a water aqueduct directly from the river to the city.


YAXCHILAN - Means "green stones" in Mayan. The ruins lie on the left bank of the Usumacinta River just a little north and east of the ruins of Bonampak. This is a very difficult site to reach. The best way (or only way) is via the Usumacinta River from Guatemala. Launches can be hired at Sayaxché on the Pasíon River. The ruins have not been restored due to the location and even the major monuments are mostly covered in trees. There are many amazing carvings to see, plus the chance to get a feel of what a major Maya archeological site was like before restoration. The stone carvings are in incredible shape and are some of the finest in the entire Maya World. These richly carved lintels were made of limestone while Tikal's were of hard sapodilla wood.


Yaxchilán was a large city in ancient times rivaling the magnificence of Palenque and Chichen Itzá. The building groups lie along slender esplanades set into the bank of the river. It seems to be influenced by Palenque more than the Peten region of Guatemala. The roof-combs of the buildings are wider and higher than those of Palenque. The core area of the site is the Grand Plaza. It is composed of two major groups named the Grand Acropolis and the Small Acropolis. As with other groups at the site, these two were built making use of and modifying the lay of the land. There are 120 structures which make up the core area, around 30 have been partially restored.


Yaxchilán served as an important Classic Maya regional capital rivaling, if not surpassing, Piedras Negras in its architectural grandeur and size. Yaxchilán, although mostly unrestored remains in better condition than Piedras Negras probably due to the use of stone lentils and a higher quality of engineering.


TONINA- Toniná is a site constructed on a huge mountain that offers a great view of the four corners of the world. The ruins are located outside of the town of Ocosingo, Chiapas about 70 kilometers from Palenque. While the site is not one of the big attractions (probably because it is so close to Palanque) it certainly is worth seeing. Toniná is cut into the base of the mountain and uses boulders as construction material. It resembles a mountain fortress in some respects, and has some resemblance to Copán and Quiriguá. The ability to climb stairs is needed at these ruins.


The site was inhabited throughout the Classic, and was at its height between 600 and 909 A.D. At the base of the acropolis there is a large plaza, ball court and several temples, altars, and stelae. The acropolis itself consists of seven platforms interconnected by stairways and passages. Archeologists have uncovered a wall sculpture that had been buried by the collapsed ruins from above centuries ago, and is in pristine condition. As the restoration continues the site is sure to reveal more and more of her secrets. All in all Toniná is worth the hike.

 

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