San Cristóbal de las Casas

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Mexico, Chiapas, San Cristobal de las Casas

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Overview

Set in a gorgeous highland valley surrounded by pine forest, the colonial city of San Cristóbal (cris-toh-bal) has been a popular travelers’ destination for decades. It’s a pleasure to explore San Cristóbal’s cobbled streets and markets, soaking up the unique ambience and the wonderfully clear highland light. This medium-sized city also boasts a comfortable blend of city and countryside, with restored century-old houses giving way to grazing animals and fields of corn.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Na Bolom

San Cristóbal de las Casas

An atmospheric museum-research center, Na Bolom for many years was the home of Swiss anthropologist and photographer Gertrude Duby-Blom (Trudy Blom; 1901…

Templo & Ex-Convento de Santo Domingo de Guzmán

San Cristóbal de las Casas

Located just north of the center of town, the imposing 16th-century Templo de Santo Domingo is San Cristóbal’s most beautiful church, especially when its…

Museo de Sergio Arturo Castro Martínez

San Cristóbal de las Casas

The story behind this extraordinary collection – that's overseen by an even more extraordinary person, Don Sergio – is as interesting as the museum itself…

Centro de Textiles del Mundo Maya

San Cristóbal de las Casas

Upstairs inside the Ex-Convento de Santo Domingo, this excellent museum showcases over 500 examples of handwoven textiles from throughout Mexico and…

Catedral

San Cristóbal de las Casas

On the north side of the plaza, the candy-colored cathedral was begun in 1528 but wasn't completed until 1815 because of several natural disasters. Sure…

Café Museo Café

San Cristóbal de las Casas

This combined cafe and coffee museum is a venture of Coopcafé, a grouping of more than 17,000 small-scale, mainly indigenous, Chiapas coffee growers. The…

Plaza 31 de Marzo

San Cristóbal de las Casas

The leafy main plaza is a fine place to take in San Cristóbal’s unhurried highland atmosphere. Shoe-shiners, newspaper sellers and ambulantes (mobile…

Museo del Ámbar de Chiapas

San Cristóbal de las Casas

Chiapas amber – fossilized pine resin that's around 30 million years old – is known for its clarity and diverse colors. Most is mined around Simojovel,…

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