San Cristobal

San Cristobal de las Casas has a lot of the old world colonial charm of Antigua de Guatemala which makes sense--after all, Chiapas state which borders Guatemala is relatively remote from the rest of Mexico.

With its large indigenous population Chiapas has much in common with its Central American neighbor.

Nestled in a valley almost 7000 feet high--nearly as high as Mexico City--this region of Mexico also brings to mind northern Thailand and Laos.

This high valley is surrounded by mountains covered in lush green forest under bright blue skies and fascinatingly surreal cloud formations which can quickly turn ominous as rain can come almost without warning this time of year.

While under the noon day sun temperatures might approach 90 degrees, at night it can turn downright cold.  One morning I was up before dawn and the thermometer was reading below 60.

Here you can meet tourists from all over Europe--I´ve heard German, French, and Italian spoken above all--and there are even some North Americans.  Some tourists travel with children in tow.

San Cristobal features a very well-kept central area with colonial era churches and beautifully restored courtyard buildings.

A large, crowded central market is one of the main attractions here--for tourists and locals alike--and features a colorful array of products, many of them hand-woven textiles made by the Indian women.

Jewelry is also a big local product simce Chiapas is the third largest producer of amber in the world.