San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico: Vacations and travel info

Description

San Cristobal has many facets, and is as diverse as the people who visit it. You can find a magical and artistic environment as well as a lively and cheerful one.

In the main, the architecture is mostly colonial, however there are a few modern buildings here and there, as well as many picturesque houses with red-tiled roofs and pretty gardens.

Sit and watch the young people and adults, Tzotziles and Tzetzales, Mexicans as well as foreigners, locals and visitors, all warm friendly people and perfect strangers who might become friends after meeting just one time.

History

People here know a lot about the city's historical background and will gladly share it with whoever is interested in listening. They will tell you that the founder of the city was Don Diego de Mazariegos and that he had originally named the settlement 'Villa Real de Chiapa' after his hometown in Spain.

For one reason or another, the city has had several names throughout the years until it eventually became know as 'San Cristobal'. It was named in honor of the patron saint of travelers, and 'de las Casas' after Friar Bartolome de las Casas the first bishop to the city who fought fearlessly to abolish Indian slavery here and in several other places in the New World.

From its founding in 1535 until today, San Cristobal has waged many battles for the rights of Indians and this may account for the people's nonjudgmental ways as well as their respect for cultural diversity. This has made San Cristobal a melting pot of ethnic groups, religious beliefs, and political views.

A lot to see

There is a lot to see and do in San Cristobal. There are examples of Baroque, Mudejar and Neoclassic architecture, beautiful colonial churches and chapels, and idyllic historical cobble stone streets. San Cristobal is also the meeting point for diverse cultures and beliefs, as well as for a delicious culinary experience, the result of blending Indian and Spanish recipes. The mornings in San Cristobal are a truly mystical sight, as the sun rises, it can barely shine through the thick fog that forms over the city until it gets warm enough to reach the ground. All around San Cristobal you can smell the rich aroma of freshly roasted coffee and breathe the wonderful fresh air that will surely remind you how alive you are. San Cristobal is all this and more, come and see it for yourself.