Things To Do in San Cristobal de las Casas

San Cristobal de las Casas is a highland town located in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. It’s a lovely, colourful place nestled in the hills of this beautiful area. There are plenty of sights to see and plenty of interesting excursions in the surrounding area. Here is our guide for things to do in San Cristobal de las Casas.

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Why Visit San Cristobal de las Casas?

San Cristobal was one of the most interesting places we visited on our tour of Mexico because we were able to visit indigenous villages in the area and learn about the culture and heritage of the Mayan Tsotsil people.  The Tsotsil have their own time zone, calendar, language and customs, and live in a very close-knit society.

How To Get to San Cristobal de las Casas

We were travelling through Mexico on buses and had travelled from Oaxaca on a night bus, which took 12 hours. It takes around 13 and a half hours to reach San Cristobal from Mexico City. If travelling from the Yucatan, it takes a similar time from Cancun. Even Palenque, which is relatively close as the crow flies (and was our next destination), is an 8 hour journey because the commercial buses avoid using the mountain road. Bus journey times can vary depending on road conditions and – sometimes – roadblocks.

If you are flying in from other Mexican cities, the closest airport is Tuxtla Gutiérrez Airport. From here you can take buses, colectivos or taxis to the city and it takes around 1.5 hours to drive there. Colectivos are a cheap way to travel – they follow a set route, don’t have a particular schedule and everyone just piles into the vehicle.

We stayed at Casa Mexicana 28 de Agosto No. 1, a delightfully pretty hotel with a lovely courtyard. Not only did we receive a warm welcome, they let us check in at 9am which meant we could get a shower and a short nap after our night journey. And they served a cracking brekkie.

So, getting to San Cristobal is a bit of an effort, but it is very worthwhile.

Things To Do in San Cristobal de las Casas Town

San Cristobal is set in a valley surrounded by pine forests. The town of San Cristobal is quite compact so it is easy to walk around.

The zocalo is right in the centre of town. It’s a small square where people meet to socialise and relax. Sometimes musicians will play in the band stand.

Museo de San Cristóbal MUSAC – Palacio de Gobierno is a grand building just to the west of the zocalo, which houses art exhibitions on the ground floor.

There are a number of churches all over town. Located in the main square, the Cathedral of San Cristobal de Las Casas was constructed around 1528.

Templo de San Nicolás is behind the main cathedral and was one of the first in the area to serve the indigenous people. There are lots of other churches in town and most are open to visitors.

The charming Iglesia de San Cristóbalito is located at the top of a hill. You can climb a slightly breathtaking zig-zag of 280 steps to reach it.

But don’t forget to turn around to get a view across the city.

Slightly out of town , heading north on Gran M. Utrilla, is the Mayan Medicine Centre which has a range of exhibits about traditional medicine (and some fairly disturbing mannequins).

It was very interesting to learn about how the Mayan people used natural resources – plants and animals – for healing particular ailments.

Mayan World Textile Centre is housed in a former convent and showcases beautiful textiles from Mexico and Guatemala.

Day Trip To Visit Indigenous Villages

One of the primary reasons to travel to this area is to visit the nearby indigenous villages, the heart of Tsotsil culture. The Chamulans have proudly kept their traditions alive, and visiting local villages is a fantastic way of discovering their heritage, culture and religion. Visitors are welcome but are expected to behave with respect. It is especially important only to take photos where permitted and particularly to ask permission if you wish to take photos of people.

We recommend a taking a tour from San Cristobal – we joined a bunch of international visitors and were driven in a minibus. Importantly, we had a local guide who was able to explain about the culture and traditions of the towns we visited.

San Juan Chamula

Our first visit was to the town of San Juan Chamula. We parked on the outskirts of the town and walked into the centre, passing by the old church in the fields.

We were visiting just before Mexico’s Day of the Dead festival and local families were preparing for this by tending the graves of their deceased relatives. They pile earth over the graves and cover them with pine needles and marigolds.

The colour of the crosses indicates the age of the person who died. Only family members tend the graves. Some actually exhume their loved ones and will clean their bones for three years after their relative’s death.

Moving into the town centre we explored the town buildings and marketplace. Our guide told us about the society. It is a very close-knit and closed community, run by the people for the people. The town is self-governing and public positions are held by volunteers. You can tell the policemen because they wear sheep’s wool ponchos. They carry radios to inform each other about any crimes so that they can catch perpetrators quickly.

We saw the local prison – when men are incarcerated their cell is an open room with bars – the point is to humiliate them for the crime committed. (Female criminals are afforded privacy for their safety.) Anyone who transgresses the rules is expelled. In the past, lynches have happened for really serious offences.

We visited the church the Iglesia de San Juan Chamula. This is undoubtedly one of the most unusual and fascinating churches we have ever seen. The Tsotsil religion blends both traditional indigenous beliefs with Catholicism. Visitors are allowed inside but any photography is strictly prohibited – there are signs at the entrance indicating that you will receive a hefty fine if you take photos.

The church floor is covered with pine needles and the walls are adorned with pictures of Catholic saints. People light candles and kneel on the floor to pray. The candle colours reflect the colours of sweetcorn – white, red, black and yellow – which all have specific meanings, and the number of candles lit is also significant.

There was music in the air – we heard music that we associate with Christmas carols, as well as traditional music, played on a harp, accordion and drums. 

The local people come here to pray. There is a shaman in the church who will help people to deal with their problems by undertaking rituals. One of these rituals might include rubbing the person with a chicken that they have brought in, in order to pass the problems to the chicken. Then they will strangle it (the chicken’s throat would not be cut because there should never be blood shed inside the church) and the problem is eliminated for good. Local people become shamen when they dream about becoming one – the calling comes to them in a vision.

Visiting the Spiritual Leaders

We were also invited to the house of one of the town’s spiritual leaders. The leaders are not only volunteers, they actually pay to rent a location where they take responsibility for and tend to the shrine of a saint. They will do this for a year.

We sat in the room and the leader told us about their responsibilities, as we listened to the electronic sounds of Christmas carols and were invited to enjoy a drink of posh, a sugar cane liquor, flavoured with rosemary.

The Mayan calendar is unique. It comprises 18 months of 20 days and the fourth month has 5 days.

Curiously, the cross was a symbol of Mayan culture before the Conquistadors arrived. It is green and has rounded ends, the four points represent cardinal points and the Ceiba, symbolic of a native tree of life.