Sights in San Cristóbal De Las Casas
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Cathedral
On the north side of the plaza, the cathedral was begun in 1528 but wasn't finally completed till 1815 because of several natural disasters. Sure enough, new earthquakes struck in 1816 and 1847, causing considerable damage, but it was restored again in 1920-22. The gold-leaf interior has five gilded altarpieces featuring 18th-century paintings by Miguel Cabrera.
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B
Café Museo Café
This combined café and coffee museum is a venture of Coopcafé, a grouping of more than 17,000 small-scale, mainly indigenous, Chiapas coffee growers. The museum covers the history of coffee and its cultivation in Chiapas, from highly exploitative beginnings to the community-based indigenous coffee production that’s increasingly well marketed today. The information is translated into English and you can taste some of that flavorful organic coffee in the café.
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C
Templo de Santo Domingo
The 16th-century Templo de Santo Domingo is San Cristóbal’s most beautiful church, especially when its facade catches the late-afternoon sun. This baroque frontage, with its outstanding filigree stucco work, was added in the 17th century and includes the double-headed Hapsburg eagle, symbol of the Spanish monarchy in those days. The interior is lavishly gilded, especially the ornate pulpit.
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D
Centro Cultural El Carmen
The Arco de El Carmen, at the southern end of the Andador Turístico on Hidalgo, dates from the late 17th century and was once the city’s gateway. The ex-convent just east is a wonderful colonial building, with a large peaceful garden. It’s now the Centro Cultural El Carmen, hosting art and photography exhibitions and the occasional musical event.
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E
Museo del Ámbar de Chiapas
Chiapas amber – fossilized pine resin, around 30 million years old – is known for its clarity and diverse colors. Most is mined around Simojovel, north of San Cristóbal. The Museo del Ámbar de Chiapas explains all things amber (with information sheets in English and other languages) and displays and sells some exquisitely carved items and insect-embedded pieces.
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Plaza 31 de Marzo
The main plaza is a fine, green place to take in San Cristóbal's unhurried highland ambience. Shoe shiners, newspaper sellers and ambulantes (itinerant vendors) gather around the elaborate iron bandstand. It's flanked by the beautiful cathedral on the north side and the equally splendid Hotel Santa Clara on the southeastern side.
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Cerro de Guadalupe
Want to take in the best views in town? Well, you'll have to work for them, because at this altitude the stairs up this hill can be punishing. A church crowns the lookout: the Iglesia de Guadalupe becomes a hotspot for religious devotees around the Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe (December 12).
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F
Na Bolom
An atmospheric museum-research center, Na Bolom for many years was the home of Swiss anthropologist and photographer Gertrude Duby-Blom (Trudy Blom; 1901–93) and her Danish archaeologist husband Frans Blom (1893–1963).
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Grutas de San Cristóbal
The entrance to this long cavern is among pine woods. The first half kilometer of the cave has a concrete walkway and is lit. The Mexican army took control of the land around the caves in 2003, though visitors are still welcome.
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Museo de la Medicina Maya
The award-winning Museo de la Medicina Maya introduces the system of traditional medicine used by many indigenous people in the Chiapas highlands. It's a 15-minute walk north from Calle Real de Guadalupe or around $18 by taxi.
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G
Hotel Santa Clara
The Hotel Santa Clara was built by Diego de Mazariegos, the Spanish conqueror of Chiapas. His coat of arms is engraved above the main portal. The house is a rare secular example of plateresque style in Mexico.
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Centro Cultural de los Altos
Centro Cultural de los Altos boasts a reasonable Spanish-language museum on the history of the San Cristóbal region.
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Cerro de San Cristóbal
Want to take in the best views in town? Well, you'll have to work for them, because at this altitude the stairs up this hill can be punishing. A church crowns the lookout.
reviewed
