San Cristóbal de las Casas sits at 2,200 metres in the cool, forested highlands of Chiapas, and it feels a world apart from the beach resorts and lowland heat of most of Mexico. The cobbled streets, painted colonial houses, and handsome churches give the town a beauty that has made it something of a magnet for travellers, artists, and expats. But the real reason to spend a few days here is the living indigenous culture that surrounds it.
The town was founded in 1528 and named after Bartolomé de las Casas, the Dominican friar who became the most passionate defender of indigenous rights in the early colonial period. His spirit — advocacy, argument, moral urgency — still feels appropriate: San Cristóbal has been a politically charged place since the Zapatista uprising of 1994, which began here on New Year's Day and transformed how Mexico thought about its indigenous communities. The Zapatistas maintain a presence in the region, and visitors will see their murals and symbolism throughout Chiapas.
The centre of town is walkable and dense with interest. The Templo de Santo Domingo anchors the north end of the pedestrianised Real de Guadalupe; below it sprawls the Mercado José Castillo Tielemans, alive with Tzotzil and Tzeltal women selling produce, textiles, and flowers. The Catedral de San Cristóbal faces the main Plaza 31 de Marzo. The Museo Na Bolom, in a 19th-century house on the north side of town, tells the story of the Lacandon Maya and the scholars who dedicated their lives to them. Around it all, the cafes serve excellent local coffee, the restaurants have improved dramatically over the last decade, and the craft shops are among the best in Mexico for textiles and amber.
Day trips from San Cristóbal are excellent. The indigenous villages of San Juan Chamula and Zinacantán are 10–15 kilometres away and show a version of Catholicism that is unlike anything else in the world. Sumidero Canyon, the ruins at Palenque, the Lagos de Montebello, and the waterfalls at Cascada El Chiflón can all be reached in a day with a tour or rented transport.