Chiapas

Capital - Other Cities and Attractions

Location:south end of Mexico
Area: 4:415 km 2
Population: 3:920,892 inhabitants

The Chiapas name came from the Nahuatl compound word "CHIA" and "APAN" (in the river), that is to say "Chia river". In Pre-Columbian times Chiapas was part of the heartland of the Maya civilization. Chiapas was conquered by Spain in the early 16th century, and became part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, administered as part of the "Kingdom of Guatemala" (what is now Central America), administered from Antigua Guatemala.
When Central America achieved its independence from Mexico in 1823, western Chiapas was annexed to Mexico. More of current day Chiapas was transferred after the disintegration of the Central American Federation in 1842, and the remainder of the current state taken from Guatemala in the early 1880s by President Porfirio Díaz.

Chiapas remained one of the parts of Mexico least affected by change, with the descendants of the Spanish continuing to exercise much control over the native peoples through such institutions as debt peonage, despite attempts by the central government to abolish those practices.

In this majestic state you can find all that is offered by the nature, cut through by plentiful rivers, hills and volcanoes, and impenetrable jungles. It has hundreds of lakes, waterfalls, as well as an exceptional flora and fauna. Chiapas also produces precious woods as the Mahogany and the Rosewood that are used to make good quality furnitures and beautiful carvings.

The water of the huge dams Malpaso, Angostura and Chicoasen, is here accumulated in dozen of rivers and lagoons.

The state capital city is Tuxtla Gutiérrez; other cities and towns in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las Casas, Comitán, and Tapachula. Chiapas is also home to the ancient Maya ruins of Palenque, Yaxchilan, Bonampak, Chinkultic, and Tonina. Many of the people in Chiapas are poor, rural small farmers. About one third of the population is of full or predominant Maya descent, and in rural areas many do not speak Spanish. The state suffers from the highest rate of malnutrition in Mexico, estimated to affect over 40% of the population.