An overlooked jewel set east of Tuxtla Gutierrez on the way to San Cristobal, Chiapa de Corzo is a small and attractive colonial town with an easygoing, provincial air. Set on the north bank of the broad Rio Grijalva, it's the main starting point for trips into the Callon del Sumidero. Chiapa de Corzo has been occupied al-most continuously since about 1500 BC. Before the Spaniards arrived, the warlike Chiapa tribe had their capital, Nandalumi, a couple of kilometers downstream, on the opposite bank of the Grijalva. When Diego de Mazariegos invaded the area in 1528, the Chiapa apparently hurled themselves by the hundreds to their death in the canyon rather than surrender. Mazariegos founded a settlement called Chiapa de Los Indios here, but quickly shifted his base to San Cristobal de Las Casas, where he found the climate and natives more manageable.

Impressive arcades frame three sides of the plaza, and a beefy tree called La Pochota bucks the sidewalk as it flexes its centuries-old roots. Venerated by the indigenous people who founded the town, it's the oldest ceiba tree along the Rio Grijalva. But the focal point of the plaza and the image on all state license plates, La Pila (also called the Fuente Colonial) is a handsome brick fountain com-pleted in 1562 in Mudejar-Gothic style. It's said to resemble the Spanish crown. The large Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzman, one block south of the plaza, was built in the late 16th century by the Dominican order. Its adjoining convent is now the Centro Cultural, home to an exposition of the wood and lino prints of talented Chiapa-born Franco Lazaro Gomez (1922-49) as well as the Museo de la Laca, dedicated to the local craft specialty: lacquered gourds. The museum holds pieces dating back to 1606 and samples of lacquer work from other centers in Mexico, China, Japan and Thailand.

Chiapa de Corzo, a colonial town of about 50,000 inhabitants that bumps up to Tuxtla. To get there, take a taxi or hop on the bus operated by Transportes Chiapa-Tuxtla (Av. 1 Sur btw. calles 5 and 6 Oriente). Buses leave every couple of minutes. The ride takes a half-hour. Ask to get off at the main square (parada del parque). To see Canon del Sumidero, there are two main boat cooperatives have ticket booths under the archways bordering the square. Also you can go straight to the boats at the pier (embarcadero) 11⁄2 blocks below the square. As you pass the church of Santo Domingo, you’ll see a large ceiba tree shading the churchyard. In better circumstances these trees get even larger than this, but this one has taken up an interesting position in front of the church. The Maya felt that these trees embodied the connection between the heavens, the world of men, and the underworld because they extend into all three realms.

The two cooperatives (the reds and the greens identified by the color of their boats) offer the same service. They work together sharing passengers and such. Boats leave as soon as a minimum of 12 people show up. The interval can be up to an hour or as short as 10 minutes, depending on the season. The ride takes 2 hours. This river is the Grijalva, which flows to the Gulf of Mexico from Guatemala and is one of Mexico’s largest. Besides the canyon vistas, you’re likely to see some crocodiles and other things of interest. The boat’s pilot will explain a few things in Spanish, but much of what he says adds little to the tour. At the deepest point in the canyon, our pilot said the walls stretch up vertically 1,000m (3,280 ft.) above the water, which, in turn, is about 100m (328 ft.) deep at that point, the view was really something. There are some interesting things happening on the walls; water seeps out in places, creating little micro-environments of moss, grass, and mineral deposits. One of these places is called the Christmas Tree, for its form. The boat glided slowly by as a fine mist fell on from the plants. The boats operate from 8am to 4pm. They are fast, and the water is smooth. The best times to see the canyon are early or late in the day, when the sun is at an angle and shines on one or the other of the canyon walls. The boats are necessarily open, so you should take an adjustable cap or a hat with a draw string or some sunscreen.

Chiapa De Corzo overlooks the Río Grijalva. As it’s barely twenty minutes east from Tuxtla, it makes a scenic alternative to the big city, though it’s best known as the starting point for boat rides through the Cañón del Sumidero, and is quite a tourist scene during Mexican holiday times. The first Spanish city in Chiapas, it was officially founded in 1528, though it had already been an important centre in pre-Classic times. A stele found here bears the oldest Long Count date, corresponding to December 7, 36 BC, yet discovered. The ruins that remain are on private land behind the Nestlé plant, at the far end of 21 de Octubre on the edge of town. The most striking feature of Chiapa de Corzo is the elaborate sixteenth-century Fuente Colonial, which dominates the central Plaza Ángel Albino Corzo. Built of brick in the Mudéjar style, in the shape of the Spanish crown, the fountain is one of the most impressive surviving early colonial monuments in Mexico. It has become a state symbol you may recognize it from Chiapas licence plates. Just behind the fountain, the huge tree bursting from its confines is La Pochota, a national monument to the suffering of the indígenas under Spanish rule, said to have been standing here when the town was founded. On the northwest side of the plaza, the Casa Museo Ángel Albino Corzo is the former residence of the national reformer for whom the town was named. Housing an interesting jumble of period furniture and historical artefacts, it features two cannon used in the so-called Pastry War against France in 1838. On the southern side of the plaza, portales house a series of reasonably priced handicraft stores, which continue south along 5 de Febrero towards the river and embarcadero. Behind the portales is the lovely Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán and ex-convent, with a tall nave and timbered ceiling. Forming part of the complex, behind the main entrance to the church, is the Centro Cultural, an ambitious new project that is gradually converting the old convent into a series of tasteful galleries and art studios. Upstairs on the first floor, the Museo de Laca recounts the history of lacquer-making in Mexico, from pre-Hispanic times to the present, featuring various lacquered objects from gourds to pots and chests.

Buses from Tuxtla travel along Avenida Cuauhtémoc, north of the plaza, terminating near the Nestlé plant get off at Calle Mexicanidad, or where the driver says “parque”, and turn right for the plaza. Heading back, buses cut across the top of the plaza (Avenida 21 de Octubre) and are easy to pick up. Moving on, though, you typically have to backtrack to Tuxtla, as the main highway bypasses the town about 4km to the north. One alternative is to take a taxi from the plaza all the way to San Cristóbal. Heading to the airport, however, there’s little point going to Tuxtla as taxis cost the same.

On an ancient trade route high above the Río Grijalva, the ruins of Chiapa de Corzo comprise some two hundred structures scattered over a wide area of private property, shared among several owners and sliced in two by the Panamerican Highway (Hwy-190). This is the longest continually occupied site in Chiapas, begun as a farming settlement in the early pre-Classic period (1400–850 BC). By the late pre-Classic period (450 BC–250 AD), it was the largest centre of population in the region. What you see today are mainly low pyramids, walls and courtyards. There’s a small example of the ruins in the middle of the road, just beyond the terminal for buses to Tuxtla on the edge of town, but to get to the main site from the plaza, take any microbus heading east, get off at the junction with Hidalgo and follow the signs. After about fifteen minutes, you’ll come to an unmarked gate in a fence on the right; go to the house and pay the small fee to the family who farm among the ruins. Walking, it’s about 3km northeast from the plaza in Chiapa de Corzo, passing the beautiful sixteenth-century church ruin of San Sebastián on 21 de Octubre along the way.