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 street vendors) gather around the elaborate iron bandstand.

The Hotel Santa Clara, on the plaza’s southeast corner, was built by Diego de Mazariegos, the Spanish conqueror of Chiapas. His coat of arms is engraved above the main portal. The building is a rare secular example of plateresque style in Mexico.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby San Cristóbal de las Casas attractions

1. Catedral

0.07 MILES

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…

2. Hotel Santa Clara

0.09 MILES

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…

3. Museo del Cacao

0.13 MILES

This chocolate museum runs along an open upstairs balcony of a cafe. Learn about the history of chocolate and how it was used by the Maya. Also on display…

4. Café Museo Café

0.18 MILES

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…

5. Templo de San Francisco

0.19 MILES

Founded by the Franciscans in 1577, this fairly plain little church contains baroque altarpieces and pulpit.

6. Centro Cultural El Carmen

0.19 MILES

This ex-convent, just east of the Arco del Carmen, is a wonderful colonial building, with a large, peaceful garden. It’s now the Centro Cultural El Carmen…

7. Arco del Carmen

0.21 MILES

The Arco del Carmen, at the southern end of the Andador Turístico on Hidalgo, dates from the late 17th century and was once the city’s gateway.

8. Museo de Sergio Arturo Castro Martínez

0.21 MILES

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