Steeped in Mayan heritage, the countrys southernmost state is Mexico at its most unexpected.
Shyly, I poked my head inside the church.
The haze of copal incense smoke, flickering candlelight, and the low hum of prayer drew me in.
From left: The 115-foot-tall Misol Ha waterfall, in Salto de Agua, near Palenque; sea bass and shrimp ceviche at Tierra y Cielo, in San Cristóbal de Las Casas.Credit: Joaquin Trujillo
At first, the religious cues felt familiar enough.
Worshippers knelt amid thousands of candles as rays of morning light streaked through windows into the cavernous space.
But as my eyes adjusted to the dim glow, I realized everything else was unfamiliar.
The walls of Sumidero Canyon rise 3,300 feet above the Grijalva River.Joaquin Trujillo
There were no pews, no formal mass, no crucifixes.
Instead, saints with the iconographic power of Mayan deities lined the walls.
It’s combined with a form of Catholicism that places John the Baptist above Christ.
From left: A suite at Hotel Bo, in San Cristóbal de Las Casas; the jungle-fringed swimming pool at Palenque’s Quinta Chanabnal.Joaquin Trujillo
Rocking back and forth, she took his pulse as his parents hovered, their eyes closed in prayer.
Nor did I encounter a single unreturned smile.
San Cristobal’s historic center, meanwhile, offers abundant shopping, eating, and cultural experiences.
A mural on the street in San Cristóbal de Las Casas.Joaquin Trujillo
You’ll also want to make pilgrimages to the spectacular archaeological sites of Tonina and Palenque.
Here’s my suggested itinerary, broken down into regions.
In Chiapas, there’s nowhere else like it.
From left: French-born Anne-Sophie Guerinaud is an artist-in-residence at the Omorika workshop in San Cristóbal; the Mayan ruins of Yaxchilán, near the Mexico-Guatemala border.Joaquin Trujillo
At night, the streets, bars, and restaurants came to life with locals and tourists.
The truly spectacular Tonina is an archaeological site etched into a hillside.
Its temples and palaces were abandoned after the ninth century.
From left: The Maracuyá y Yerbabuena, a mezcal-based cocktail served at Hotel Bo; Jorge Gordillo, the chef at Tarumba, a restaurant in San Cristóbal.Joaquin Trujillo
After you’ve walked the site for a couple of hours, head to the parking lot.
You will find our favorite restaurants, hotels, and must-see things to do.
five-day trips from $2,000 per person.
Dishes from various stalls at Esquina San Agustín, a food hall in San Cristóbal’s historic center.Joaquin Trujillo