Must-see attractions in Chiapas

  • The ancient pyramids of Tonina, a Mayan Archaeological Site in Chiapas, Mexico.

    Toniná

    Chiapas

    The towering ceremonial core of Toniná, overlooking a pastoral valley 14km east of Ocosingo, is one of the most spectacular archaeological sites in…

  • Temple of the Inscriptions. Ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Palenque, in the jungles of Chiapas, Mexico; Shutterstock ID 38923966; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; Project no. or GL code: 56530; Network activity no. or Cost Centre: Online-Design; Product or Project: 65050/7529/Josh Vogel/LP.com Destination Galleries

    Palenque Ruins

    Chiapas

    Ancient Palenque stands at the precise point where the first hills rise out of the Gulf coast plain, and the dense jungle covering these hills forms an…

  • Yaxchilán

    Chiapas

    Jungle-shrouded Yaxchilán has a wonderfully atmospheric setting above a horseshoe loop in the Río Usumacinta. The control this location gave it over river…

  • Templo de las Inscripciones Group

    Palenque

    As you walk in from the entrance the vegetation suddenly peels away to reveal many of Palenque’s most magnificent buildings in one sublime vista. A line…

  • Chinkultic ruins, Chiapas, Mexico.

    Chinkultic Ruins

    Chiapas

    With a dearth of other tourists, this is one of those magical archaeological sites where the sense of wild atmosphere is as enthralling as the stories…

  • Temple of the Inscriptions. Ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Palenque.
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    Templo de las Inscripciones

    Palenque

    Perhaps the most celebrated burial monument in the Americas, this is the tallest and most stately of Palenque’s buildings. Constructed on eight levels,…

  • El Chiflón

    Chiapas

    These mighty waterfalls tumble 120m off the edge of an escarpment 20km southwest of Comitán. In a region with a surfeit of impressive waterfalls, these…

  • Zona Arqueológica de Iglesia Vieja

    Chiapas

    Believed to be the regional capital of the Zoque during the Classic period, these ruins were inhabited between AD 250 and AD 400. The site's most…

  • 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…

  • Locals relaxing on Marimba Park's benches in front of the picturesque bandstand in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Mexico.

    Jardín de la Marimba

    Chiapas

    To take your evening paseo (stroll) with the locals, stop by this leafy plaza, just eight blocks west of Plaza Cívica. The whole city seems to turn out…

  • Templo de San Juan

    Chiapas

    Standing beside the main plaza, Chamula’s main church is a ghostly white, with a vividly painted arch of green and blue. Inside the darkened sanctuary,…

  • Cascada de las Golondrinas

    Chiapas

    A lovely water feature tucked 10km off the highway, where two rivers cascade dramatically from a high point of 35m and you can swim in clear blue water…

  • Zoológico Miguel Álvarez del Toro

    Chiapas

    Chiapas, with its huge range of natural environments, has the highest concentration of animal species in North America, including several varieties of big…

  • Tenam Puente Maya Ruins

    Chiapas

    These sprawling Maya ruins feature three ball courts, a 20m tiered pyramid and other structures rising from a wooded hillside. Tenam Puente was one of a…

  • Cascada Welib-Já

    Chiapas

    Thirty kilometers from Palenque, these 25m-high curtains of water aren't the most dramatic water features in the area, but the turquoise river pools make…

  • Museo Arqueológico de Comitán

    Chiapas

    Although this excellent museum is very small it's crammed with treasures from the area’s many archaeological sites (Spanish signage only). It's arranged…

  • 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…

  • Jardín Botánico Dr Faustino Miranda

    Chiapas

    The lush oasis of the Jardín Botánico Dr Faustino Miranda is a gorgeous place to visit, as well as being a nice respite from the city heat. The collection…

  • Bonampak

    Chiapas

    The remote Maya jungle ruins of Bonampak are spread over 2.4 sq km, but all the main ruins stand around the rectangular Gran Plaza. Never a major city,…

  • Temples of the Cross Group at the Mayan ruins of Palenque.

    Grupo de las Cruces

    Palenque

    Pakal’s son, Kan B’alam II, was a prolific builder, and soon after the death of his father started designing the temples of the Grupo de las Cruces…

  • Christmas Tree Waterfall, or Cascada Arbol de Navidad, on the left in Sumidero Canyon.

    Cañón del Sumidero

    Chiapas

    The Sumidero Canyon is a spectacular fissure in the earth, found north of Tuxtla Gutiérrez. In 1981, the Chicoasén hydroelectric dam was completed at its…

  • The Simas de las Cotorras, a huge limestone sinkhole in the middle of the rainforest of Chiapas, Mexico.

    Sima de las Cotorras

    Chiapas

    The Sima de las Cotorras is a dramatic 160m-wide sinkhole that punches 140m down into the earth into a crater thick with rainforest. At sunrise, a green…

  • Rio Tulija, Agua Azul, National Park, near Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico, North America

    Agua Azul

    Palenque

    Agua Azul is a breathtaking sight, with its powerful and dazzling white waterfalls thundering into turquoise (outside rainy season) pools surrounded by…

  • Plan de Ayutla

    Chiapas

    The remote Maya ruins of Plan de Ayutla sit on an evocatively overgrown site, with buildings in various states of excavation and abandonment. From the…

  • Acrópolis Sur

    Palenque

    In the jungle south of the Grupo de las Cruces is the Southern Acropolis, where archaeologists have made some terrific finds in recent excavations. You…

  • Izapa Ruins

    Chiapas

    The small and peaceful pre-Hispanic ruins at Izapa contain three groups of ruins. The northern group (Grupo F) is on the left side of the road if you’re…

  • Palenque Northeastern Groups

    Palenque

    East of the Grupo Norte, the main path crosses Arroyo Otolum. Some 70m beyond the stream, a right fork will take you to Grupo C, a set of jungle-covered…

  • El Palacio

    Palenque

    Diagonally opposite the Templo de las Inscripciones is El Palacio, a large structure divided into four main courtyards, with a maze of corridors and rooms…

  • Chiapa de Corzo Archaeological Site

    Chiapas

    On a trade route between the Pacific and the Gulf, the sprawling Chiapa de Corzo settlement had close ties to neighboring Maya and Olmec cultures. At its…

  • El Aguacero

    Chiapas

    Plunging into the sheer Río La Venta canyon, El Aguacero is a gorgeous series of frothy stairsteps that tumble and spray. You'll descend over 700 steps to…

  • Río Santo Domingo

    Chiapas

    The Río Santo Domingo is a beautiful, turquoise mess of cascades and rapids accessed from the community lodging at Las Nubes and Ecoturismo Xbulanjá. Some…

  • El Panchán

    Palenque

    Just off the road to the ruins, El Panchán is a legendary travelers’ hangout set in a patch of dense rainforest. It’s the epicenter of Palenque’s…

  • Grutas de Rancho Nuevo

    Chiapas

    The entrance to this long cavern is situated in pine woods 9km southeast of San Cristóbal, a five-minute walk south of the Pan-American Hwy. The first…

  • Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán

    Chiapas

    The large Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán, one block south of the main plaza, was built in the late 16th century by the Dominican order. Its adjoining …

  • Templo XIX

    Palenque

    In 1999, in Templo XIX, archaeologists made the most important Palenque find for decades: an 8th-century limestone platform with stunning carvings of…

  • Misol-Ha

    Palenque

    Just 20km south of Palenque, Misol-Ha cascades approximately 35m into a wonderful wide pool surrounded by lush tropical vegetation. It’s a sublime place…

  • Museo del Café

    Chiapas

    This small museum, housed inside an attractive colonial building, contains exhibits on the cultivation and processing of everyone's favorite bean. It's…

  • 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…

  • Religious Art Museum

    Chiapas

    The chapel at the Parador-Museo Santa María is a religious art museum with an interesting array of colonial-era work from Europe and the Philippines as…

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