The Maya of Chiapas have a sophisticated tradition of herbal and spiritual medicine that has survived centuries of colonisation and is still practised in the indigenous villages surrounding San Cristóbal. This museum, run by the organisation OMIECH (Organisation of Indigenous Highland Doctors of Chiapas), documents and preserves that tradition while also serving as a working centre where traditional healers practise.
The exhibits cover plants, diagnosis methods, ritual healing practices, and the cosmology that underpins indigenous medicine — a system that doesn't separate physical ailments from spiritual and social causes. The garden of medicinal plants at the back is particularly good, with labelled species used in highland Maya remedies. Staff can explain the uses of various plants if you ask.
The museum is a 15-minute walk north of the historic centre, past the Na Bolom house. It is worth combining the two in a single morning's walk through the quieter northern part of the city. Admission is cheap; some of the money supports the healers' cooperative.