The capital

Tuxtla Gutiérrez, the capital of Chiapas, is the Southern Mexico surprise. It is a prosper city, surprising because of its unexpected modernism, in this Indian region.

The construction of the hydroelectric central on the Rio Grivalja made the population exponentially increase. There were 71,000 inhabitants in 1970, then 296,000 in 1990 and 568,000 in 2007.

There is no special interest on an architectural plan besides the Cathedral San Marco. The 48 bell tower plays a different melody to accompany the figures of the 12 Apostles that parade on a pedestal.

   Left picture : Zoque Carnival

You can visit the regional Museum and the Zoo. The museum has three rooms. The first one is consecrated to the Pre-Hispanic People of Chiapas. The second one shows the historic, artistic and ethnographic aspects from the sixteenth century to nowadays. The third one displays temporary shows. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday (9 AM-5 PM, $33). The next door botanic garden Faustino Miranda houses 98% endemic species of Chiapas ( each of them is labeled).
The Zoo of Tuxtla, named after Miguel Alvárez del Toro, considerate as one of the best zoos in the world, has more than 100 animal species of the region, including jaguars, ocelots and tapirs. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday (9 AM-5 PM, $20). There are also a small museum, a restaurant and a store on the premises.

Since you will probably stay one night there, you can dance to marimba music at the central kiosk in La Marimba Park, west of the Zócalo. There is music every evening from 7 to 9 PM.

The nearby surroundings

Tuxtla is a departure point for the visit of the Cañon del Sumidero, 23 km (14 miles) north via the panoramic road. There are five viewpoints on the road and the fifth one, the observation tower "Los Chiapas", is the most impressive. If you are in a rush, just look at the canyon from one of these viewpoints set along the 24 km (15 miles) road.
The grey mountain reveals spectacular gorges made by years of wind and rains. The multicolor rock faces stand 1000 m (3280 ft) above Rio Grivalja. A hydroelectric dam was built on this Rio. It was finished in 1981 and called Chicoasén. As the rock faces of the Cañon del Sumidero rise up, one can see hundreds of birds along the bank. There are many caves and falls along this canyon. An ecotourism park was set there in 2003 : it offers activities such as climbing, kayak, hiking in the jungle to observe butterflies, birds, monkeys and other wild animals. Click HERE to log onto their website. The cruise in the canyon and access to the ecotourism park costs $290 per adult and $210 per child (open 9 AM-4:30 PM).

A panoramic bus rides the road over the canyon every day at 9 AM and 1 PM - ($70).

     Right picture : Cañon del Sumidero

Recorrido por la geografía chiapaneca. Atravesando el Cañón del Sumidero, las cascadas de Agua Azul, Misol-Ha o El Chiflón, el Cañón Rio La Venta, las coloridas lagunas de Montebello, la laguna Miramar, los lagos de Colón, las zonas arqueológicas de Palenque, Bonampak, Tenam Puente, Chinkultic, Yaxchilan. Recorriendo las ciudades coloniales como Comitán, San Cristóbal de las Casas o Chiapa de Corzo, o bien la capital del Estado Tuxtla Gutiérrez, entre muchos otros lugares como Tapachula, San Juan Chamula, Amatenango del Valle. "Mundo Maya" "Chiapas... es para vivirlo" Nice video produced by Chiapas State about the points of interest in the State.

The precipice of the parakeets

This site is called "Sima de las Cotorras" or "Sima del Copal" (abyss of the copal tree) because of the abundance of copal trees in this place. It is located 4 km (2.5 miles) from Tuxtla. The precipice of the parakeets is a 160 m (525 ft) diameter and 140m (460 ft) depth natural pit. The rock faces are quasi-vertical and one can observe remains of rock paintings from the ancestors of the Zoque ethnic group on the steep walls. The site was named after the many parakeets that nest offering a fairy show at dawn or dusk when they get in or out of the abyss.

The history of Chiapas state :