San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico, is it Worth a Trip?

Intro

San Cristobal de las Casas is an adorable town in the central highlands of the Southern state of Chiapas in Mexico. It is surrounded by hills and sports wonderful views, Spanish colonial architecture with red tile roofs and cobblestone streets as well as a fascinating and proud indigenous culture and history.

Walking tour

We went on a free walking tour, my two favourite members of which were some very cute street dogs who decided to come along for the ride. I was surprised they were street dogs because they looked incredibly healthy and had tags on them. I assumed they belonged to the guides. However, they told us that the tags were to show that the dogs had had all their vaccinations as part of a local scheme, and they had taken a liking to them and joined the walking tour most days. How sweet!

We of course had to visit the local market. It felt like a school trip because I almost wanted us all to hold hands in case I got lost. It was a serious maze! It was so large and winding that we joked that if you got left behind, you’d never be found again, you’d just have to live there, in the market. Maybe you’d re-join the tour again six months later where you’d be found with long hair and a beard, trying to make a living selling crafts made from the clothes on your back.

We were shown a few lovely churches, one, in particular, stands out to be as it was entirely blackened inside. Apparently, this was due to a fire caused by the light used in ceremonies that uses a highly flammable material. This is not an isolated incident. This has caused many church fires yet is still routinely used, which seems a little crazy to me!

The second half of the tour involved lots of tasting sessions as the region is known for some great local ingredients, unique coffee brewing, homemade chocolate, and local spirits.

We visited a lovely little chocolate shop and sampled both raw ingredients and homemade squares, then we tried the only expresso I’ve ever enjoyed (it’s always just far too bitter for me) which was at a coffee shop that unusually roasts fresh green beans that taste delicious!

We went to a funny backdoor place to try the local liquor of the Southern Mexican state the Chiapas called pox (pronounced posh) which is made from corn, sugar cane, and wheat. Traditionally it was used as part of Mayan ceremonies and used to cure ailments (it’s very strong so I can see why). We bought the peach version in an enormous plain plastic bottle for 20 pesos (less than £1!) that would keep us warm on the nights to come! We would pull it out at hostels and people would laugh at our “bottle of moonshine”.

We ended the tour at an artisan pox bar for another tasting, where we learned all about the spirit and had a lot of fun. I particularly loved their chocolate version.

Nightlife

The town really comes into its own at night. Everywhere is lit up and families wander the streets buying balloons, candy floss, and glow sticks. There’s music and a buzz in the air as everyone is wrapped up in their fleeces and scarves still determined to sit outside and drink glasses of wine al fresco despite the chill of the high altitude. It’s a wonderful atmosphere and almost feels like an entirely different place, it has almost the feel of a festival to it.

Final thoughts

I want to press that San Cristobal is a small town and you only need one or two days here.

I wouldn’t necessarily come here as just a standalone trip but it’s well worth a stop along a longer route. We travelled here from Puerto Escondido in Oaxaca and then went on to see more of the Chiapas, El Chiflon Waterfalls, and Palenque (Mayan jungle ruins) which are both fantastic.

You don’t need to spend too long but it is still worth a trip to see a different side of Mexico, get up in the fresh mountain air and sample some local flavours. It has a wonderful selection of bars and restaurants and I highly recommend just wandering around at night, soaking in the atmosphere, and trying as much wine and pox as possible.

If you do a tour of Sumidero Canyon (which you absolutely should) you will learn about the sad, terrible history of colonization and experience some incredible wildlife and scenery. (I will write about this next time, see you then!)

Thank you for reading! Hearts and tips are always welcome and your support is very much appreciated.

This story was originally published on Medium

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