Sections of San Cristobal de las Casas
ACCOMMODATIONS
ARCHEOLOGY
ARTS AND CRAFTS
ATTRACTIONS AND HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE
ECOTOURISM AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
ENTERTAINMENT AND SPORTS EVENTS
FESTIVALS AND TRADITIONS
GASTRONOMY
MUSEUMS
NIGHTLIFE
SHOPPING

ATTRACTIONS AND HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE
In San Cristobal de las Casas you can admire picturesque houses with red tile roofs, beautiful cobblestone streets and the notable colonial-style architecture that reflects the city’s historical importance.

Catedral de San Cristobal de las Casas (The Cathedral): Located north of Plaza 31 de Marzo. When the province of Chiapas was first raised to the level of a diocese, the modest Church of La Asuncion, which was begun in 1528, was converted into the Cathedral of St. Christopher the Martyr. Its first effective bishop was Frey Bartolome de las Casas. The primitive edifice was gradually replaced by the current construction that was begun in the 17th century and not finished until the 20th. The last restorations are from 1920, which is why they exhibit classicist details, such as the side portal, whose design was copied from Vignola's treatise. It seems that the main façade dates from the 18th century and falls within the Baroque style. Many are the treasures that the interior of the cathedral holds, like profuse mortar ornamentations and Solomonic altarpieces, deserving a careful visit. The pulpit is very interesting, one of the three most magnificent pulpits in the city. Open daily from 08:00 to 19:00.

Parque Plaza Mayor 31 de Marzo (Main Plaza): Located in San Cristobal’s downtown area, between Real de Guadalupe and General Utrilla streets. This is the main square and in colonial times it functioned as the hub for all civic activities, such as the market and water supply, from the font located there. The indigenous people used to come to this plaza twice a year to pay tribute during the festivities of St. John and Christmas. Currently it is surrounded by the buildings of the civic and religious authorities and by the archway where the merchants sell their wares. Its kiosk dates from the early 20th century. Numerous artistic and cultural activities are held in the plaza’s pavilion.

Temple y Ex Convent de Santo Domingo de Guzman: Located on Avenue 20 de Noviembre. This is one of the city’s most beautiful and emblematic buildings. The first stone for the church was placed in 1547 by Francisco Marroquin, Bishop of Guatemala. It seems that the current church dates from the 17th century, but elements predating this were undoubtedly used for its construction. The exterior has been modified - apparently the façade was between two structures of which the southernmost is gone and there remain only some traces of it on the church wall. The façade is exquisitely decorated and on it a great Dominican coat-of-arms stands out. The mortared decoration, which covers the entire façade, deserves special attention. The motifs are unusual and make this façade one of the most ornate from Mexican and Central American colonial art. To find these motifs requires a minutely precise observation: There are anagrams, little angels, sirens and personages between lions. The Dominican House of Antigua, no longer standing, may have been its model. The pulpit is of remarkable beauty. Its structure rises upon a pedestal profusely carved in the likeness of a sumptuous golden challis. It is one of Mexico's best. Inside you’ll see motifs of indigenous design. Sure to grab your attention are a pair of two-headed eagles that flank the sculpture of Santo Domingo. Open daily from 08:00 to 19:00.

Iglesia de la Merced (Church of Mercy) and Amber Museum: The Church of Mercy was the first convent established in San Cristobal and the Mercedarian Order arrived there in 1537. It was always a modest construction because the prestige of the Order was never significant. During the Porfirio Diaz government the church was remodel in neoclassic style with its characteristic turret, and the convent served as jail. In the sacristy a Roman arch from the original construction remained, decorated with flower motifs and a mortared relief of the sun and the moon held in place by a thick column. Among its paintings are a two-headed eagle and the date 1759. In later times, the convent was turned into a municipal jail, and now holds the Museum of Amber, which exhibits exceptional pieces of that resin from Mesozoic trees. This amber was extracted from mines within the state, which, along with those in the Dominican Republic, are the only sources in America.

Templo del Carmen (Church of Carmen): Located on the corner of Hermanos Dominguez and Avenue Miguel Hidalgo. Built during the 17th century, a chapel was later added during the 18th century, this building has its original façade and arched tower intact, which was constructed in the 18th century using a mudejar-style design. There is nothing remaining of the old Conceptionist Convent of the Incarnation (as it was known during colonial times). The church with its "L" layout is in the corner of a small square. It has a single nave with a ceiling of wood and tiled roof with a principal arch that opens to the main chapel. After the flood of 1652 a different tower was added. The access is through the side that faces the square, as is common among churches and convents of New Spain. In 1993, a fire destroyed the treasures of El Carmen. The house next door is an excellent example of San Cristobal's domestic buildings. Today, it hosts the El Carmen Cultural Center.

Church of San Nicholas: Built between 1613 and 1621, it is the only church in the city that conserves its primitive shape. The construction exhibits the mudejar style - the layout is in a single nave, with carved panels on the ceiling and covered with a double- sloping wood and tile roof. The simple façade is made of stone and brick and shows a polychrome patina typical of native architecture. It currently houses the Diocesan Museum, in back of the cathedral. Visits to the Museum are by appointment.

Templo de La Caridad (Temple of the Charity): It belonged to the hospital and convent of the Order of San Juan de Dios, of which nothing remains. Its construction dates from 1712, the same year of the Tzeltal rebellion, to which it is intimately related, as its promoter was Fray Juan Bautista Alvarez de Toledo, bishop of Chiapa and Soconusco. This bishop was also indirectly responsible for the rebellion by demanding from the indigenous people substantial collections to raise funds for the construction of this temple, thereby affecting the already distressed economy of the communities.

Church of San Francisco: Franciscan friars arrived in the royal city but could never compete with Dominican predominance. The Franciscan church was built from the 17th to the 18th centuries. It is built with one nave with carved panels on the ceiling. The façade is outstanding for its windows and the simple mortared decoration. The pedestals for the pilasters proceed from a Guatemalan model in vogue at those times in Antigua. Its pulpit is one of the three that comprise the premiere group of San Cristobal's pulpits. On the way to Santa Lucia via Insurgentes street, one of the best Neoclassic mansions is found at the corner of Hermanos Dominguez and the small square, where a monument to fray Bartholomew de las Casas was erected at the beginning of last century.

Casa de la Sirena (House of the Mermaid): Located on the southern end of Plaza 31 de Marzo. This is an outstanding example of domestic colonial architecture still standing in the city. It is said that this house belonged to Andres de la Tovilla, one of the conquistadors, fellow-in-arms of Pedro Portocarrero and commissioner of Copanaguastla. The façade of the house is reminiscent of the plateresque style. It was probably built during the 16th century with brick and mortar in very ingenious designs. The door has a coat-of-arms and ornate columns crowned with lions on both sides; the topmost window is between a pair of two-headed eagles; another window is decorated with mortared mermaids and a snake-woman. The name of the house comes from a rough stone mermaid in the corner of the building facing the plaza.

Municipal Palace: Its first stone was laid in 1885 to replace the building burned down by the rebel troops of Juan Ortega in 1863, during the struggle between the Republicans and the Imperialists. The original intention was to make a building that would fill the entire block and would be the seat of the state government, but when the city lost its capital status, only a quarter of it was completed. It is the best example of the Neoclassic style that was introduced by Carlos Z. Flores to San Cristobal after a delay of more than a century from the time it appeared in Guatemala and other parts of Mexico. Flores probably had a copy of Vignola's architectural treatise from the 16th century that was circulated in an 1858 edition. The design he drew up for the palace was an almost exact copy of one of the illustrations from that treatise, which, although Neoclassic, maintained the traditional use of the covered archway as can be seen in other older Central American government buildings.

Public Market: Located six blocks to the north of Plaza 31 de Marzo, along General Miguel Utrilla Avenue, it is a very interesting place where members of all the surrounding indigenous communities converge.

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