Mexico, Chiapas, San Cristobal de las Casas

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San Cristóbal de las Casas

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

    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…

  • Museo de Sergio Arturo Castro Martínez

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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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