- Some initial thoughts on Chiapas, Mexico
- Cañón del Sumidero, Chiapa de Corzo, and San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico
- Zinacantán and Chamula, Chiapas, Mexico
- Walking around San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico
- The road to Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico
- Bonampak and Yaxchilan, Chiapas, Mexico
- Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico
After taking in a lot of sights from the Colonial period, as well as modern-day Mayan villages, it was time to head down from Los Altos and see some of the state’s natural beauty and ancient ruins. As we drove, it was interesting to see the changes in the natural landscape – from pine forests to tropical rainforests, with the attendant increase in temperature, humidity, and bugs! It was also interesting to drive through more Mayan villages, so of which continue to maintain traditional ways and dress and some more contemporary. We luckily avoided (by minutes) and another cultural tradition in these communities – the roadblock. It turns out that the indigenous communities don’t pay taxes to the federal government, as they are pretty much self-sustaining. However, when these communities have a grievance against the government, or want something (like a new road), they bring the whole community together and block the roads – sometimes for several hours or more. This generally raises the attention to the local NGOs, who then apply pressure to the Mexican government (either directly or through their home governments) and the demand is met. We passed through one village where there were hundreds of people on both sides of the road. As we learned later, the road closed minutes after we went by and the person who told us this was held up for 4 hours! We also passed through a number of local markets and enjoyed seeing the festive atmosphere there.
On our way to Palenque, we stopped at two beautiful waterfalls. The first, Agua Azul (Blue River) has a series of waterfalls that cascade down a limestone ridge, creating a series of pools. Because of the limestone, the pools have almost a turquoise color (at least until the rainy season when they turn chocolate brown with all the runoff). This is a very popular place to go swimming and, given the heat and humidity, we were sorely tempted. Unfortunately, the road was calling. The second waterfall was Misol-Ha (Streaming Water). Here the water falls about 120 feet into a deep pool that is surrounded by jungle vegetation and animals. The cool aspect (figuratively and literally) about this waterfall is that you can take a trail behind it. Once you get beyond the waterfall, you can hike a short way into a cave where there is another small waterfall. This was a really nice stop.
This entry was posted in Chiapas, Mexico, Travel
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
