San Cristobal De Las Casas is a city to fall in love with. Mexico, San Cristobal de las Casas - a colorful city with a magical atmosphere Road from Palenque to San Cristobal

San Cristobal de las Casas the most picturesque town in one of those that we managed to visit during our short trip around the country. No wonder in 2003 the city of San Cristobal was awarded the title of "Magic City".

San Cristobal located in the center of Mexico, in the state of Chiapas, at an altitude of 2100 m above sea level, in the picturesque valley of Vall de Jovel. Unlike many other cities in Mexico, this small town has no pre-colonial history. It was founded in 1528 by the Spanish conqueror.

For a long time, the city remained an inconspicuous small settlement, lost in the mountains of the state of Chiapas and was under the control of Guatemala. And from 1824 to 1892, San Cristobal de las Casas was the capital of the state, but due to difficult access to the city, the capital was moved to the city of Tuxtla, and San Cristobal remained the cultural capital of the state and is now the tourist center of Chiapas.

Until 1994, few people heard about the city of San Cristobal, but in January 1994 the city was captured by the rebels of the Zapatista National Liberation Army, who are fighting for the rights of the indigenous population of Mexico - the Indians. The city was liberated, the situation in the state stabilized, but still the rebels sometimes block roads and hold rallies.

The city changed its name several times and became known as San Cristobal only in the 19th century, in honor of Saint Cristobal.

Now the city and the villages near it are inhabited mainly by the Tzotzil and Tzeltal peoples, who belong to the Mayan Indian group. Local residents still wear national clothes, use donkeys to transport goods and arrange Indian rites.

Here is the most beautiful Catholic cathedral, built in the 17th century in a mixed Baroque and Moorish style. The cathedral was built in honor of the patron saint of the city and the patron saint of all travelers - St. Christopher. This Catholic Cathedral in San Cristobal is the only cathedral where services are held according to the Catholic rite. In the rest of the churches and cathedrals of the city, rituals are held according to local, Indian beliefs.

Here on the square is located, a 19th-century building with arches and columns.

You can climb to the second floor and view the surroundings from a small height. We were in the evening and saw such beautiful views of the city and mountains.

Now the city hall is located in this building, when we were there, some kind of meeting was held in one of the rooms, and a concert of children's amateur performances was held in the other.

There are several museums in San Cristobal: the Amber Museum (as it turns out, amber is mined in the state of Chiapas) and the Mayan Medicine Museum.

The city has developed the production of textiles, ceramics and amber jewelry. All of these can be purchased at artisan market(Mercado de Artesanias). The market is located next to the Caridad Cathedral.

We arrived at the market around 5 pm, when the traders were already closing their tents. But we managed to buy a couple of blankets and souvenirs. If you plan to buy souvenirs in Mexico, I advise you to do it in San Cristobal. It has low prices and a great selection. And be sure to bargain. Mexican blankets can be bought here for 80-100 pesos.

San Cristobal has several pedestrian tourist streets, in two countries of which there are numerous restaurants, bars and coffee shops.

San Cristobal de las Casas how to get there

The city is located in the mountains, so the path to it is not easy. Wherever you go: on the one hand from Oaxaca or on the other hand from - you have to drive through a tough mountain serpentine. Bus tickets can be bought.

The nearest airport is located in the capital of Chiapas - Tuxtla. Plane tickets can be booked by clicking on the link. From the city of Tuxtla to San Cristobal about 100 km, not a bad toll road was built. Serpentines and there, of course, are available, but not the same as if you go on a free road.

We drove to San Cristobal from. The distance is only 215 km, and we drove for about 5 hours. The road is narrow, continuous serpentine (not the same, of course, as from to, but also very difficult), there are no fences on the road: there is a rock on one side, and a cliff on the other. I was very sick, take pills for motion sickness, although they did not really help me. I do not advise anyone to drive this road at night. There will be a separate article about roads in Mexico, but for now, enjoy the views of landscapes along the Palenque - San Cristobal road.

It is very interesting to observe how, as you move into the mountains, the lush tropical vegetation of the jungle is replaced by coniferous forests and lemon trees.


Apples are grown here and it seems that you are not in Mexico at all, but somewhere in our latitudes 😎

One unpleasant feature of the road from Palenque to San Cristobal is the inhabitants of local villages. Children and women stretch the rope from both sides of the road and raise it at your approach, and when you slow down, they start rushing at the car so that you buy bananas or water from them. I knew about such jokes in advance, but I didn’t tell Lesha, otherwise I would have refused to go. What to do in such cases: we just stood still, blocking the windows. Many write that you just need to drive fast and honk loudly. I think that we were lucky, the weather was bad, it rained every now and then, so we met such obstacles only a couple of times.

I don’t want to scare anyone, but there are situations when separatists block the road between Palenque and San Cristobal for several days and demand something from the government of the country. We were lucky, we drove normally in one direction or the other, but I read on the forums that people have to re-plan their route because of such actions of the insurgent brigade of revolutionaries.

We entered at about 6 pm, already in the dark and stuck in a big traffic jam in the city center. The roads here are very narrow, there is one-way traffic everywhere, we drove in circles and could not figure out how to get to our pre-booked hotel.

Having settled in the Posada Sancris hotel, we quickly washed ourselves, changed clothes and went to dinner in the city center. I must say that San Cristobal is located high above sea level and in the evenings the temperature drops to +5 degrees. Somehow I did not calculate the weather, put on flip flops, a dress and a jacket, and we went for a walk. It was my mistake, I almost immediately froze, the walk did not give me pleasure, we hurried to warm ourselves in one of the many cafes.

Here I drank the most delicious margarita cocktail during my stay in Mexico. And yes, the food was delicious. Dinner for two cost 350 pesos ($28).

Of course, Margarita didn’t warm me up, I had to drink mulled wine (yes, mulled wine is also sold here 😎), we wandered a little more along the main street, were surprised at the number of hippies and tourists in general and hurried to the room, basking under two duvets 😎

The next morning we were not happy with the weather. In general, we were not lucky with the weather in Mexico 😥 The rains followed us everywhere and always. After breakfast, we went on an excursion to Canyon del Sumidero, returned to San Cristobal in the afternoon, left the car at the hotel and went for a walk.

This time I decided to dress warmly: jeans, sneakers, jacket 😎 We wandered into the market, walked around the center of the city of Zócalo, went to the Cathedral.

I read that they make delicious coffee and hot chocolate in San Cristobal, so we stopped at a nice cafe for a cup of chocolate and a piece of cake 😎 Tasty, but hot chocolate, it turns out to be cocoa! 😎

We dined at the Syrian restaurant, where a crowd of local youth smoked a hookah. By the way, here the margarita was not as tasty as in the previous cafe.

And they walked and walked and walked. We went to the shops, I tried on dresses, but I didn’t buy anything. San Cristobal with its atmosphere reminded me of two cities -

In the picturesque Jovel Valley, lost among high mountains and fluffy clouds, the small town of San Cristobal de las Casas is comfortably located. The city cannot boast of a history of pre-colonial times, its construction began in 1528, by the conquistador Diego Mazariegos, on the lands of Central America, inhabited by the descendants of the Maya. Over the course of three centuries, the name of the city changed periodically, it was originally called Villa Real de Chiapa de los Espanyoles, later renamed Ciudad Real de Chiapa.

The modern name of San Cristobal de las Casas was received only in 1848, in honor of the Christian martyr, patronizing wanderers, Saint Christopher, and the prefix de las Casas, he got thanks to Bartholomew de las Casas, the first bishop of Chiapas and an ardent fighter for the rights of the oppressed Indians. Well, the locals call it briefly and affectionately Sancris. In the middle of the 19th century, the city was the administrative center of the state of Chiapas, is now recognized as its cultural and tourist capital, and in 2003 was awarded the status of "magic city". (San Cristobal in ours)

Gem of Chiapas

San Cristabal is undoubtedly the jewel of the state of Chiapas and the most beautiful legacy of the colonial past. It's a city of shoe shiners, hippies, backpackers, tiled roofs, and vintage cars. It still retains a special atmosphere of antiquity, with its traditions and rituals.

The indigenous population - the Tsotsil and Tzeltal Indians, are considered direct descendants of the Maya, they wear bright national clothes and jewelry, and carry goods on carts with donkeys harnessed to them. They speak their own language, and most of them do not know Spanish at all. They get their livelihood by making and selling souvenirs, clothes and textiles, but the main income is received from the numerous tourists who come here from all over the world. (souvenirs can be purchased on our three-day trip, see )

Architecture of San Cristobal

The graceful, mostly one-story, architecture of San Cristobal is a mixture of neoclassicism, baroque and Moorish style, with the addition of national Indian color, you want to wander around its pedestrian streets filled with the spirit of romance again and again. And almost always, the cool air, saturated with unique aromas, intoxicates and makes you dizzy.

San Cristobal gained worldwide fame a little over 20 years ago, in January 1994, when it was captured by the rebels of the national liberation movement of the Zapatistas fighting for the rights of the Indians, and became the center of their resistance.

Attractions San Cristobal

Despite the small area, San Cristobal has a large number of churches of various colors, some of them over several centuries old. The main attraction is the Cathedral of St. Christopher, which combines Moorish-style gilding, Indian lace and baroque features in its architecture. It is located on the central square of the city, Zocalo, coming here in the evening, you can become a member of a fascinating costume show hosted by the Indians.

The most beautiful and most magical church in the city is the pink temple of San Domingo, stunning tourists with a stunning carved facade and baroque interior.

The two main viewing platforms are the hills of Guadalupe and San Cristobal, each of which shelters small churches, and in good weather, amazing views of the city covered with tiled roofs open up.

San Cristobal boasts museums, the expositions of which will not leave anyone indifferent. This is a museum of amber mined in the surrounding mountains and a museum of Mayan medicine.

Friends! If you have any questions - !do not hesitate! - ask them in the comments below or write to me on social networks!

You will never see Paris or New York the way it was seen in the 16th or 18th centuries. These cities burned in fires and were destroyed by bombing and shelling, the streets were straightened and rebuilt every hundred years, and factories, industrial plants, warehouses grew on the site of old districts and quarters every 20-30 years. The Industrial Revolution swept European cities like a steamroller, and World War II changed the face of the Old World forever.

But all the unrest and anxiety of the last five centuries, which reshaped Europe far and wide, had little effect on the appearance Mexican city of San Cristobal de las Casas. When you get here, you make a journey into the past - and you see exactly the same thing that the native Mexicans saw 300 years ago - a colorful city with a magical atmosphere.

Let's take a walk along San Cristobal, which is located in the center of Mexico, in the state of Chiapas, at an altitude of 2100 m above sea level, in a picturesque valley. Here in the evenings it is noticeably cool and fresh, after a stuffy city- it's like a breath of fresh air.

San Cristobal features expressive, conspicuous colonial architecture, but this wrapper is deceptive. In fact, San Cristobal- one of those Mexican cities that turned out to be the most protected from the influence of the culture of the colonizers, and that is why here the very Indian flavor sought by travelers in all its beauty and diversity immediately becomes noticeable.

Guess they still live here the real ones Mayan! According to statistics, 110 thousand representatives of two groups of Indian tribes live in the vicinity of San Cristobal, and this is one of the few areas in Mexico where the Indian population continues to grow. True, most of the indigenous people are illiterate and live on the verge of poverty. In everyday life, the Indians wear national clothes, which gives this city a special flavor.

Narrow streets, tiled roofs of houses, paved paving stones, small and cozy cafes, restaurants, spa hotels and all this is so harmoniously inscribed in the architecture. And it is not for nothing that in 2003 the city of San Cristobal was awarded the title of “Magic City”.

If we talk about San Cristobal de las Casas, then it is definitely worth mentioning aboutThe Zapatistas are an anarchist insurgency in Mexico. Indeed, before In 1994, few people heard about the city of San Cristobal, until in January 1994 the city was captured by the rebels of the Zapatista National Liberation Army led by radical leader Subcomandante Marcos who fight for the rights of the indigenous people of Mexico - the Indians. This event attracted the attention of the entire world community and was the first news in the press and on television (I was little then and was not interested in the Zapatistas, but now I can tell from personal experience after 20 years). Rumor has it that the folk hero Marcos is still alive and well, he lives in the jungle near San Cristobal. No one has ever seen his face (in public, the subcomandante appears only in a black mask), perhaps that is why the national hero still manages to escape persecution.

Of course, you can read more detailed information on Wikipedia or read the “Fourth World War” by Marcos, but one thing remains the same - people have been looking for an alternative way in this world for 20 years: how to change the world without resorting to violence. At the same time, what is probably the most interesting thing is that this is not an initiative of representatives of the intellectual elites, but the self-organization of the communities of the poorest Indian peasants, who for more than 22 years manage to maintain an impeccable reputation and not respond with violence to violence, to government provocations, which periodically simply kill them with their own hands. . They live, villages develop, children go to school, there are health centers…

In general, walking along the central streets of San Cristobal, look into the gallery of the Chilean artist Beatriz Aurora (Beatriz Aurora) - the creator of the visual images of the Zapatistas ... sometimes words are superfluous :)

Let's go for a walk around San Cristobal!

What to see in San Cristobal

Main attraction San Cristobal - these are churches, churches, churches. Here we counted about ten of them, which, you see, for a city that can be walked up and down in one day, is quite impressive. The churches do not differ in special external beauty, but the fact that most of them were built in the 16-17 centuries is inspiring.

The center of the city is the Zócalo square. , which is also called March 31 Square, around which his whole life is concentrated. So, if some events are held in the city, then festivities are sure to take place on the square.Here is the most beautiful Catholic cathedral, built in the 17th century in a mixed Baroque and Moorish style.

The cathedral was built in honor of the patron saint of the city and the patron saint of all travelers - St. Christopher. This Catholic Cathedral in San Cristobal is the only cathedral where services are held according to the Catholic rite. In the rest of the churches and cathedrals of the city, rituals are held according to local, Indian beliefs.

Here on the square is located government palace, 19th century building with arches and columns. On the day of our arrival, we got to a family holiday and many young people and children in national Mexican costumes walked around the streets, and in the evening a live music concert was held on the balconies of the Government Palace. No, really, being able to manage your leisure wisely is the highest level of civilization and the Mexicans know a lot about it ... I’m telling you for sure:

We go wherever our eyes look, or rather we hunt beautiful people in suits and get to Arc de Triomphe Carmen(Arco del Carmen).

We go out into the street and soon we get to the central tourist street Real de Guadalupe. Life is in full swing here: everywhere there are cafes, restaurants, shops with souvenirs and clothes, creative characters who donate their talents for free or for money, beggars, saleswomen. In general, tourist flavor!

San Cristobal has a very developed coffee culture. Wherever you go, you can always order a cup of fragrant drink, for 20-30 pesos and pretty good hot chocolate (in fact, it's not chocolate, but a cup of natural cocoa with additives to choose from).

Note: c Prices on restaurant menus do not include tips, which are usually 10% of the order value. In addition to tips, various taxes can be added to the price - from 2 to 25%. All prices are to be confirmed.

And this church Iglesia de Guadalupe located on a high hill on the outskirts of the city:

WITH Hill of Guadalupe (Cerro de Guadalupe) offers a beautiful view of the city, and in particular on its tiled roofs:

San Cristobal- a place for which the usual case is when gringo(this is how white foreigners, especially Americans, are called in Latin America), having come here for a couple of days, they stay here for a couple of years. The atmosphere is favorable: cheap housing, quietness, grace, which people who are tired of big cities and running up the career ladder are looking for. Here they sleep until dinner, play chess, play musical instruments, paint portraits on the streets for a small fee, learn Spanish, smoke and look quite satisfied with life. A kind of hippie bohemia, without which the real picture of today's San Cristobal would be incomplete.

In addition to temples, there are many museums in the city: the Museum of Medicine, the Amber Museum, the Coffee Museum, etc. The city has developed the production of textiles, ceramics and amber jewelry. All of these can be purchased at artisan market (Mercado de Artesanias), which is located near the two temples Iglesia de Santo Domingo and Templo de la Caridad.

It should be noted that this is the coolest souvenir market in all of Latin America, at least of those in which we happened to be. Prices, originality, interestingness - everything is on the level :)

Here you can buy charms from evil spirits, dishes, musical instruments, bedspreads, clothes, jewelry, and so on. It is important to understand that each village has its own cut of clothes and its traditional colors, so you can buy shirts and tunics with birds from some sellers, from others - from scorpions, and from others - butterflies, etc. In a word, find your own and bargain .

Accommodation in San Cristobal

In reality, there are a lot of hotels in San Cristobal for every budget. Double room in a hotel / hostel with a shower and internet varies here in the area 15-25$. We pre-booked through the Airbnb website but had the first bad experience where we applied for a refund for the first time and won. Therefore, I will give recommendations of our familiar travelers:

You can get from Oaxaca to San Cristobal de Las Casas by ADO bus. You will have to go 10-11 hours. The road is very difficult - almost the entire path runs through the mountain serpentine. Buy tickets for the front seats, they are less sick. Ticket price for a night flight - 474 (26$).

Once again, we remind you to take warm clothes on the bus, especially if a night crossing is foreseen. The air conditioning works constantly, so it is very cold (+16-18 degrees, plus icy air). The locals, who are in the know, generally travel with blankets.

Map with the sights of San Cristobal de las Casas

List of sights and objects of San Cristobal de las Casas marked on the map:

This is how we will remember San Cristobal: magically beau monde (as my husband described it), colorful and with a sweet aftertaste.

Enjoy your walks in San Cristobal, dear readers!

Story

Having found out that the countries of Honduras and Igueras abound in gold and silver, Cortes wished to include these territories in New Spain, which was the reason for the expeditions of Alvarado and Olida. Deciding to seize Honduras by sea, he chose one of his officers for this purpose. The expedition was headed by the brave and experienced military leader Cristobal de Olid, whom Cortes fully trusted, since de Olid owed his rise to Cortes, in addition, his family and possessions were located near Mexico City.

For the expedition, Cristobal de Olid was given 5 ships and 1 brigantine with 370 participants, of which about a hundred were crossbowmen and arquebusmen, and 22 riders. Among those sent, there were five old, experienced conquistadors, however, among the expedition members there were many opponents of Cortes, who, in their opinion, were dissatisfied with the division of booty and Indians. Cortes' instructions provided that Cristobal de Olid was to board ships in Vera Cruz, from there head to Havana, where to pick up prepared food and horses, and then, without going anywhere, go straight to Honduras, to the natives he was ordered to be wary but kind. Then choose a place to build a city with a good harbor, try to find the "Pass", and also make inquiries about cities and harbors on the other side of the mainland.

The first part of the plan was carried out successfully. In Cuba, Cristobal de Olid was joined by five prominent soldiers who had been expelled for some sort of clash with the commandant. They gave de Olid the idea to break away from Cortes. Others contributed to this a lot, especially the governor of Cuba, Diego Velazquez de Cuellar, a longtime enemy of Cortes. He went to Cristobal de Olid and agreed with him, in the name of the king, to conquer and rule Honduras and Igueras. According to their agreement - the military command remained with Olida, the civil administration - with Diego Velasquez.

Cristobal de Olid made an agreement with the adelantado Velazquez, raised a rebellion and started a war for the sole possession of Honduras. Thus, several contenders arose at once for this region, named at that time Las Guibueras- “land of calabashers” - and later received the name of the sea washing it - “golfo de las Honduras”, “bay of deep waters”.

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• (Spanish)

An excerpt characterizing Cristobal de Olid

In contrast to Kutuzov, at the same time, in an event even more important than the retreat of the army without a fight, in leaving Moscow and burning it, Rostopchin, who seems to us the leader of this event, acted completely differently.
This event - the abandonment of Moscow and its burning - was as inevitable as the retreat of the troops without a fight for Moscow after the Battle of Borodino.
Every Russian person, not on the basis of conclusions, but on the basis of the feeling that lies in us and lay in our fathers, could predict what happened.
Starting from Smolensk, in all the cities and villages of the Russian land, without the participation of Count Rostopchin and his posters, the same thing happened that happened in Moscow. The people waited carelessly for the enemy, did not rebel, did not worry, did not tear anyone to pieces, but calmly waited for their fate, feeling in themselves the strength in the most difficult moment to find what had to be done. And as soon as the enemy approached, the richest elements of the population left, leaving their property; the poorest remained and burned and destroyed what was left.
The consciousness that this will be so, and will always be so, lay and lies in the soul of a Russian person. And this consciousness and, moreover, the presentiment that Moscow would be taken, lay in Russian Moscow society in the 12th year. Those who began to leave Moscow back in July and early August showed that they were waiting for this. Those who left with what they could seize, leaving houses and half of their property, acted in this way because of that latent patriotism, which is expressed not by phrases, not by killing children to save the fatherland, etc., by unnatural actions, but which is expressed imperceptibly, simply, organically, and therefore always produces the strongest results.
“It is a shame to run from danger; only cowards flee from Moscow,” they were told. Rostopchin inspired them in his posters that it was shameful to leave Moscow. They were ashamed to receive the title of cowards, they were ashamed to go, but they still went, knowing that it was necessary to do so. Why were they driving? It cannot be assumed that Rostopchin frightened them with the horrors that Napoleon produced in the conquered lands. Wealthy, educated people were the first to leave, knowing very well that Vienna and Berlin remained intact and that there, during their occupation by Napoleon, the inhabitants had fun with the charming French, who were so loved then by Russian men and especially ladies.
They went because for the Russian people there could be no question whether it would be good or bad under the control of the French in Moscow. It was impossible to be under the control of the French: it was the worst of all. They left before the battle of Borodino, and even faster after the battle of Borodino, despite appeals to the defense, despite the statements of the commander-in-chief of Moscow about his intention to raise Iverskaya and go to fight, and to the balloons that were supposed to destroy the French, and despite all that nonsense about which Rastopchin spoke in his posters. They knew that the army must fight, and that if it could not, then it was impossible to go to the Three Mountains with the young ladies and courtyard people to fight Napoleon, and that they had to leave, no matter how sorry it was to leave their property to perish. They left and did not think about the majestic significance of this huge, rich capital, abandoned by the inhabitants and, obviously, burned (a large abandoned wooden city must have burned down); they left each for themselves, and at the same time only because they left, and that majestic event took place, which will forever remain the best glory of the Russian people. That lady, who, back in June, with her black-haired men and crackers, was rising from Moscow to the Saratov village, with a vague consciousness that she was not a servant of Bonaparte, and with fear that they would not stop her by order of Count Rostopchin, did simply and truly that great the case that saved Russia. Count Rostopchin, who either shamed those who were leaving, then took out public places, then gave out useless weapons to drunken rabble, then raised images, then forbade Augustine to take out relics and icons, then seized all the private carts that were in Moscow, then on one hundred and thirty-six carts took away the balloon made by Leppich, now hinting that he would burn Moscow, then telling how he burned his house and wrote a proclamation to the French, where he solemnly reproached them for ruining his orphanage; then he accepted the glory of burning Moscow, then he renounced it, then he ordered the people to catch all spies and bring them to him, then he reproached the people for this, then he expelled all the French from Moscow, then he left Ms. Aubert Chalmet in the city, who was the center of the entire French Moscow population , and without much guilt he ordered the old venerable postmaster Klyucharev to be seized and taken into exile; sometimes he gathered people to the Three Mountains in order to fight the French, then, in order to get rid of this people, he gave them a man to kill and he himself left for the back gate; either he said that he would not survive the misfortunes of Moscow, or he wrote poems in French in albums about his participation in this matter - this man did not understand the significance of the ongoing event, but only wanted to do something himself, to surprise someone, to do something patriotically heroic and, like a boy, he frolicked over the majestic and inevitable event of the abandonment and burning of Moscow and tried with his small hand to either encourage or delay the course of the huge stream of people that carried him along with it.

Article text updated: 2.10.2017

We ended the previous chapter on a trip on your own in a rented car in Mexico with a report on an excursion to the Mayan pyramids on the outskirts of the city of Palenque. And we still had a long journey through the mountains of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas to the Indian town with the beautiful name of San Cristobal de Las Casas, which became an intermediate stop before reaching the Sumidero Canyon National Park (Parque Nacional Cañón del Sumidero). After reading the reviews of other independent travelers, we were mentally prepared for the fact that 250 kilometers of mountain serpentine would not be easy, but we did not expect that the road would be so difficult!

It should be noted that the trip to San Cristobal de las Casas is not only the most difficult of our entire independent trip to Mexico by car, but also the most picturesque. The road winds all the time between mountain ranges, then rising to the clouds, then diving down to calm valleys.

Considering that the roads in Mexico are mostly of excellent quality, a distance of 250 kilometers could be covered in 2-3 hours on the plain. But the trip through the mountains took us the whole day: we got from Palenque to San Cristobal de Las Casas from 10:00 am to 17:00 pm.

On the way, to rest, we stopped at some roadside cafe. It’s more correct to say, not at the cafe, but simply, there, in the villages, the Indians put up a barbecue in front of the house and write in large letters “Pollo Asado”, which means “baked chicken”. So we could not resist the seductively alluring fried crust.

I must say that the taste of fried chicken was not at all impressive. Apparently, he waited too long in the wings and came out too dry. Not all that glitters is gold! Keep this in mind when traveling in Mexico.

In normal times, I never get sick in the car, but this time, after driving a couple of dozen serpentines, I felt a little uncomfortable. What to say then about Katya, who always suffers from sudden braking and changes in altitude! After a few hours of the trip, she became "green": "Leave me here in the mountains. I'd rather stay with the Chiapas Indians than drive another kilometer!"

Seasick on a mountain serpentine in Mexico. Renting a car and driving through the mountains is no easy task. Country trip report on your own to the city of San Cristobal de las Casas

I did not leave my partner in trouble, we waited a bit and continued our difficult path. It is necessary to tell about one more trouble that awaits tourists in the mountains of Sierra Madre de Chiapas during a trip from Palenque to San Cristobal de Las Casas. The state of Chiapas is predominantly populated by Indians and is the poorest region in Mexico.

We read the reviews of tourists, which said that in the highland villages, local residents block the road, “extorting” travelers from travelers to travel through their territory, forcing them to buy something. And, anyway, when we drove up to the next village behind the serpentine, we saw a teenage girl jumping up from the side of the road and pulling a rope across the road, with tin cans and boards, it was an unpleasant surprise. We stopped, the doors were locked. The children stuck around the car, their grandmother screamed hysterically, demanding to buy something (a bunch of bananas, pineapples). But we had bought tangerines only a quarter of an hour before and did not want to take anything.

The situation was heating up. I tried to move. The children became human shields in front of the car. Grandma is already cursing and is seriously angry, banging her hands on the car.

In the end, the wife said: "Touch slowly"! - and I "pushed" the human shield ...

This situation was repeated several times all the way from Palenque to San Cristobal de Las Casas. Later, we decided that it was better to buy something from them: in anger, the children banged their fists on the windshield, brandished sticks. One fine moment, they could scratch the car and we would get problems with the rental office. It would cost more...

Once, an aunt with a huge machete was sitting on the side of the road. And the "ambush" is always located at the topes (a huge speed bump), so you can't just slip through. Aunt gaped and did not have time to pull the rope - it would not be as fun as in previous cases ...

In the afternoon we reached the middle point on the route from Palenque to San Cristobal de Las Casas - the city of Ocosingo. When I was planning a trip to Mexico on my own, I decided that we could spend the night here on the way back, when we get from Canyon Sumidero to the Agua Azul (Blue Water) and Misol Ha waterfalls, which are in the vicinity of Palenque . But we didn't know if there were hotels here, nothing was mentioned about hotels in the tourists' reports.

So, if you are planning your route, know that right at the “central ring” there is some kind of chic hotel with bungalows and I saw several more signs with the inscription “hotel” along the road.

If you decide to spend the night in Okosingo, you may be interested in information about the local attractions that I found on the Internet.

• Relatively close are the next ruins of the Indians - the Maya Tonina archaeological complex (Zona Arqueológica de Toniná). The largest pyramid has 260 steps, many sculptures. The complex is located on a high hill.
• Although, we dreamed of visiting other ruins lost in the jungle on the border with Guatemala. The pyramids are called Yaxchilan (Zona Arqueológica de Yaxchilan). In the first chapter of the report there is a map of our trip on our own in Mexico and this attraction is marked with the letter “J". We planned to get to her on our way back fromCanyon Sumidero: first we sail for 40 minutes on a boat, and then we land in the jungle. There are almost no people, howler monkeys yell in the trees. According to the reviews - an incredible place! Unfortunately, we got lost in the town of Tusla Gutierrez when we were looking for Sumidero Canyon and did not get to this Yaxchilan. But, read the reviews of tourists - in no case should you miss this place if you have already gone on an independent trip to Mexico!
• In the city of Ocosingo itself, you can see the 15th-century church of San Jacinto de Polonia and stroll through the central square. Throughout Mexico they are called "zócalo".
• Tourists are also advised to go to the local market. A very colorful place, because people wear national clothes: ponchos, woolen skirts, sombreros.
• In the vicinity of Okosingo there is also a small cascade of waterfalls and ponds. It's called El Corralito.

We stopped, bought an extraordinarily delicious homemade ice cream from a local uncle, caught our breath and again rushed to our serpentines in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas mountains.

By the way, this mountain range lasts 350 kilometers. Its highest point is the volcano Tajumulco (Volcán Tajumulco), towering 4220 meters above sea level. The highest mountain in Mexico is Volcán Tacaná.) serving as the border with Guatemala. Its height is 4092 meters.

In the evening we finally reached our goal - the city of San Cristobal de Las Casas.

Many write that they really liked San Cristobal. To me, not so much. Narrow streets, gloomy houses… We turned onto Rebel Street (sorry, I don’t remember how in Spanish). We saw the hotel Gardens of Light (Jardines de Luz). The Zocalo is 2 blocks away, ample parking, breakfast. Settled. Price 500 pesos with breakfast. Breakfast: pancakes with jam and coffee.

We walked around the city.

Here, indeed, the most interesting, authentic, and cheap souvenirs in comparison with our entire route.

And already the breath of Christmas….

The city is located at an altitude of more than 2 km above sea level. In the evening it was +4 C. I had to get all the warm clothes.

History of the city of San Cristobal de las Casas

In the region where the city is now located, Maya Indians settled for millennia, whose descendants today are the Tzotzil and Tzeltal peoples. In 1528, the Spanish conquistador Diego de Mazariegos defeated the army of the Zoques and Chiapanecos in a fierce battle and founded a settlement that he called "Villareal de Chiapa de los Españoles". Over time, the settlement became the capital of the province of Chiapas. Later, on March 1, 1535, the Spanish crown granted the settlement a coat of arms, and it became known as Cristóbal de los Llanos, in honor of its patron Saint Christopher. The status of the city was received on July 7, 1536, and it was renamed again - Ciudad Real de Chiapa. I won't list all the titles...

In 1994, the Zapatista uprising broke out in the state of Chiapas - the Indians are dissatisfied with their impoverished position and the fact that farmers are seizing their ancestral lands. The performances were suppressed by the government army, but, up to the present, this region cannot be called calm: in the reports of tourists, I met stories about how the Indians blocked the roads for all transport (however, traffic resumed after a couple of hours of waiting).

What to see around San Cristobal de las Casas

We stopped at San Cristobal de las Casas simply because we did not have time to get to the capital of Chiapas, the city of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, next to which is the Sumidero Canyon National Park (Parque Nacional Cañón del Sumidero). But, in general, Mexico guides offer to consider the following excursions in the city and its environs.

• National Park Lagunas de Montebello (Parque National Lagunas de Montebello), located 160 kilometers from San Cristobal. The name can be translated as "Beautiful Mountains". The park consists of 56 picturesque lakes. Here you can go boating or go for a ride on horseback through the jungle, into the caves.
• The waterfalls of Las Cascadas el Chiflón are located 100 kilometers to the southeast. Consists of two streams. One of them brings down water from a height of 70 meters.
• The caves of Las Grutas de San Cristobal are located 13 kilometers south of San Cristobal de las Casas. Inside there is a trail 750 meters long. You can admire stalctites and stalagmites.
• You can order rafting on the river with rapids of the 3rd and 4th classes from local travel companies.

This concludes the 6th part of the review about the trip to Mexico on my own. In the next chapter, I will write an account of how we rafted down the Grijalva River (Río Grijalva), squeezing between the rocks in the Sumidero Canyon (El Cañón del Sumidero).