Our guide to San Cristóbal de las Casas

Located in the rolling mountains of southern Mexico, San Cristóbal de las Casas is a small town with a ton of charm. Cobblestone streets, colonial architecture, and cold nights spent bundled up next to a fire lend a little magic to this place. We spent a month there and this is our guide to help you plan your visit.

Walk around the historic center

Colorful buildings with tiled roofs and cobblestone pedestrian streets lined with restaurants and vendors, the historic center of San Cristóbal de las Casas is hard to miss. Have a seat in the small, tree-lined zócalo, grab a coffee in a cute café, or listen to people play music while walking along Real de Guadalupe. Check it out during the day and in the evening, lanterns light the streets and vendors sell warm, yummy treats like marquesitas with nutella.

Take a boat ride through Sumidero Canyon

Due to the high amount of rainfall in the region, Chiapas is known for its lush jungles and fierce rivers. Just an hour drive from San Cristóbal de las Casas is Sumidero Canyon, where the Grijalva River courses through rock walls that rise as high as 3,300 feet. The best way to see the canyon is to take a boat ride through it. If you're lucky, you'll get a few close encounters with monkeys, crocodiles, lizards, and many different species of birds. Check out our post here to plan your visit.

Horseback ride to San Juan Chamula

Chiapas is home to several autonomous municipalities recognized in Mexico, and San Juan Chamula is one of them. Entirely populated and controlled by the Tzotzil people, no outside police or military are officially allowed in the town. While you can take a colectivo or shuttle, the most popular way to get there is on horseback. Once there, you'll have some time to visit one of the most unique churches. A blend of indigenous and Catholic religions, there are no pews inside the church. The floor is covered with pine needles and burning candles. Family members gather with spiritual leaders to offer chicken sacrifices and prayer. Visitors can enter the church for a small fee of $25 pesos ($1.30 USD), but photos of people in the town and inside the church are strictly forbidden. A horseback riding excursion including an hour and half ride there, an hour to check out the tiny town and the church, and an hour and half ride back cost us $170 pesos per person ($9 USD).

Explore the caves

If you're craving a bit of nature during your time in San Cristóbal, there are two eco-tourism parks just outside the town that offer short hiking trails, ziplining, picnic spots, and some caves. One is called El Arcotete and the other is Parque Ecoturístico de Rancho Nuevo. Entrance to Arcotete is $10 pesos per person ($0.50 USD), with extra costs for activities such as $100 pesos ($5 USD) for ziplining and $10 pesos ($0.50 USD) to enter the caves. Rancho Nuevo charges $10 pesos ($0.50 USD) per vehicle and an additional $30 pesos ($1.50 USD) to visit the caves. You can also inquire about horseback riding in Rancho Nuevo.

Enjoy a cup of Chiapaneco coffee

Mexico is one of the world's largest coffee producers, and Chiapas in particular is known for producing great coffee. Pop into one of the many charming cafés or bookstores, grab a book about the history of this incredible place, and enjoy a hot cup of this bold goodness.

Taste some local craft beer

As the day goes on, we switch out coffee for beer. Lucky for us, San Cristóbal has some very welcoming bars and a nice selection of local craft beers that bring together the rich chocolate and coffee flavors of the region. We really loved Café Bar Revolución, which offers good live music every night starting around 9 pm. Also located in the historic center is Café Bar 500 Noches, which also offers a good selection of local beers.

Try pox

Pox, sometimes spelled posh, is a local Mayan liquor made of corn, sugar, and wheat. At nearly every restaurant along Real de Guadalupe, you'll see special deals on pox. While it's easy to be tempted by the bargain deals, we think it's well worth the extra pesos to enjoy a proper pox tasting at Poshería (Real de Guadalupe 46A). Not only does this cozy, candle-lit spot practically offer you a private tasting (there are four seats at the bar and we had it to ourselves when we were there), but they hands down had the best pox we tried while in Chiapas. In addition to tasting top-shelf pox, you'll also taste it the proper way with coffee-dusted orange slices and chocolate coffee truffles. Try as many flavors as you wish, and make sure to also order the natural one — so smooth yet so strong!

Catch a documentary about the Zapatistas

Famously known as the home to the Zapatistas, this place is history in the making as indigenous peoples of the region fight for their rights and dignity. To learn more about the Zapatistas and the EZLN movement, watch a documentary at El Puente Cinema (Real de Guadalupe 46). Attached to a restaurant and organic café, you can get comfortable on one of the small theater's couches and enjoy a tea as you become more aware of San Cristóbal's living history. Movies are shown every night at 8:00 pm and the schedule of documentaries is posted outside. Tickets are $30 pesos ($1.50 USD).

Meet the Zapatistas

When we heard you could visit the rebel headquarters of the Zapatistas, we knew we had to make a trip of it. Inspired by the Zapatista struggle and wanting to learn more about their movement firsthand, we ventured out to the small town of Oventik about an hour and half from San Cristóbal. Interested in walking around a village controlled by the Zapatistas? Check out our post here to plan a visit of your own.

Museum hop

San Cristóbal is a tiny city with a lot of rich history and culture. Thankfully, its many museums also pack a punch and you can visit more than one in a day. Interested in learning more about all that amber people are selling? Check out the Amber Museum (Diego de Mazariegos) for $25 pesos ($1.30 USD). Want to know more about those gorgeous textiles Southern Mexico is famous for? Make a trip to the Centro de Textiles de Mundo Maya (Avenida 20 de Noviembre) for $55 pesos ($3 USD). Does learning about the people of the Lacandon Jungle pique your interest? Visit Casa Na Bolom (Vicente Guerrero 33, also a restaurant and boutique hotel) for $50 pesos ($2.60 USD). Want to know more about how chocolate is made? Stop by Kakaw — Museo de Cacao y Chocolate (Calle 1o. de Marzo 16) for $30 pesos ($1.50 USD), just make sure to bring some extra money to buy some chocolate.

Visit Palenque

Hidden in the Lacandon Jungle are the Mayan ruins of Palenque and the cascades of Agua Azul and Misol Há. Mysterious and stunning, these sites really shouldn't be missed while in Chiapas. While it is possible to visit all three places on a day tour from San Cristóbal, we strongly recommend you spend at least two days there. Read our post about Palenque here to plan your own trip.

Shop for textiles

Mayan women weave some of the most beautiful textiles in the world, and this is the place to buy them. Not only are the textiles in San Cristóbal of incredibly high quality, but they are usually very affordable and fair-trade (check with the store you are purchasing from). By supporting local women weavers, you help them support their families, earn respect as breadwinners in a still very patriarchal society, and make sure that these traditional weaving techniques using the backstrap loom stick around.