Tapachula Chiapas
“The Pearl of the Soconusco”
Tapachula Chiapas is a lovely provincial city located at the border with Guatemala in the Soconusco coastal plains with rainforests of the state of Chiapas, Mexico. The city is also called “The Pearl of the Soconusco”.
Its inhabitants are Mayans, although many immigrants from Europe and Japan came to this city towards the end of the 19th century. Many Central American Mayans also come to find work in this area.
Tapachula Chiapas is a modern city with plenty of accommodation possibilities and restaurants, but at the same time retaining its provincial flavor with colonial buildings, where you can leisurely walk under shade spending trees.
On the main plaza of the town you will find the Hidalgo Park with huge Palm trees and pretty iron wrought benches, where you can relax and recover from the hot humid climate of the rainforest region.
In the middle of the Park there is a small kiosk with iron wrought banisters, where we enjoyed listening to the local marimba band, playing soft traditional tunes, and to the municipal band, which also added a musical program.
You will be able to take part of this tradition on every weekend.
How Do I Get to this Beautiful Town?
The city is connected with Tuxtla Gutierrez, the capital city of the State, at 398km on Federal Highway 200, and it also connects with the town of Comitan at a distance of 171km, on Federal Highway 21.
You will be able to rent a car, join a tour, or take a local bus in Tuxtla Gutierrez.
There are local flights with Aero Tucan from Tuxtla Gutierrez to Tapachula.
More About the City
We were told that the name of the city also means “between waters”, as it is located in the region with the most rainfalls in the world, and it is constantly flooded during the normal raining season and the hurricane season.
Although it rained for a while during our stay in the summer, the days were beautiful, sunny, and very hot.
If you walk about the city you may also want to visit:
The San Agustin Temple, built in the 18th century, which conserves its roof supported by wooden beams and covered with clay shingles.
The Casa de Cultura, a beautiful white building with frets on its façade, which was once the Municipal Palace and is now converted into the House of Culture.
It is located at one side of the main square, and next to it you will locate the Soconusco Archaeological Museum.
The Soconusco Archaeological Museum exhibits a large number of pieces found in different Mayan archaeological sites of the region, especially from Izapa and from the coastal settlements.
One of the outstanding masterpieces in Mayan art is a skull incrusted with gold and turquoise, and the other one is Stele # 25, containing carvings of the highest quality.
At a short distance from the city you will find the legendary archaeological site of Izapa.
This city is as well connected with the Pacific Ocean by means of the new Puerto Chiapas, located at 27km from the town.
This port is already able to receive large ships, and when we went to visit it, a cruiser with tourist was just arriving.
You will also be able to go swimming at the Playa Linda and San Benito beaches.
About the Region
The horizon of Tapachula Chiapas is dominated by the magnificent and impressive Tacana volcano with over 4000m in altitude on the Sierra Madre de Chiapas mountain range at the border with Guatemala.
The Soconusco region in the southernmost corner of Chiapas is covered by dense rainforest.
It has innumerable rivers and lakes, and it is rich in wild life and tropical plants for you to explore.
The soil is very fertile and ideal for Mayan agriculture as well as for growing tropical fruits
About a hundred years ago, coffee plants were introduced to the Soconusco, and today the Chiapas coffee is known for its international quality.
If you travel through this fantastic region, you will be able to discover innumerable colorful Mayan villages and towns.
You will be able to visit the old haciendas along the road, or visit the coffee plantations.
You can also climb on the Tacana volcano and get a fantastic view of the surroundings and discover some of the fauna and flora at its base.
Tapachula Chiapas and its surroundings have so much beauty, traditions and culture to
offer, that you will really enjoy your your travel into this Mayan part
of Chiapas, as we did.
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