Introduction

San Cristobal de las Casas is a characteristically indigenous Chiapaneca town nestled in the heart of the state’s jungle highlands, at a 7,200-foot elevation. You can fly or drive from Tuxtla Gutierrez; a new highway has cut driving time to less than an hour. If you go by car, the tropical heat and plant life prevalent in Tuxtla gradually give way to the nippy mountain air and pine forests that surround San Cristobal, where days are sunny and warm, and nights chilly, or even cold when it rains.