'Visiting Chiapa de Corzo in Chiapas, Mexico' - by K J S Chatrath

I visited Chiapa de Corzo in the Chiapas, Mexico when I took a road trip from Mexico City to Cancun in 2012. The trip was very efficiently organized by Mextrotter (https://www.mextrotter.com/en/)

Map of the Americas showing the location of Chiapas.

Chiapas map showing the location of Chiapa de Corzo Chiapa de Corzo, a colonial site of tradition and culture, is one of the most beautiful cities in the State of Chiapas; located just 15 minutes from the capital city;located in the Grijlava River valley of the Chiapas highlands Chiapa de Corzo lies some 15 km (9.3 mi) to the east of the state capital, Tuxtla Gutierrez. Chiapa has been occupied since at least 1400 BCE, with a major archeological site which reached its height between 700 BCE and 200 CE. It is important because the earliest inscribed date, the earliest form of hieroglyphic writing and the earliest Mesoamerican tomb burial have all been found here. Chiapa is also the site of the first Spanish city founded in Chiapas in 1528. The "de Corzo" was added to honor Liberal politician Angel Albino Corzo.

Statue of Diego de Mazariegos. Diego Mazariegos y Porres conquistador conquered Chiapas in Mexico, and in 1528, together with Andres de la Tovilla, founded San Christobal de la Casas (as Villa Real de Chiapa de los Españoles) and Chiapa de Corzo (as Villa Real de Chiapa de los Indios). He was the first Lieutenant Governor of Chiapas from 1528 to 1529.

An old tree said to have been there from before the time of the arrival of the Spaniards and setting up of this town. It is a huge La Pochota kapok tree which is considered sacred.

StoDom Church. The town has an almost uniform maximum temperature of 23 degrees celsius and the minimum ranges between 7-9 degrees celsius.

A group playing Marimba. Marimba is a percussion instrument consisting of a set of wooden bars struck with yarn or rubber mallets to produce musical tones. Resonators or pipes are suspended underneath the bars to amplify their sound.

Young ladies selling Maya clothings in a tianguis. A tianguis is an open-air market or bazaar that is traditionally held on certain market days in a town or city- something like an open weekly market in India.

statue at the entry to the town

Diamond Crown or “La Corona”. The town is laid out in Spanish style, centered on a very large plaza. The main plaza is very impressive. One sees the La Pila fountain here. It was constructed in 1562 in Mudejar style, made of brick in the form of a diamond. Mudéjar is fusion of Christian (Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance) and Islamic art created in the 12th to 16th centuries by the Muslims who remained in Christian territory after the gradual Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal).It is measures two meters in circumference and is twelve meters high. It has eight arches and a cylindrical tower which occasionally functioned as a watchtower.

Fountain

Brick memorial board in Spanish. The rough English translation of the text would be:'The first town that was founded by the conquerors in Chiapas was established Here by El Rededdor de la Ceiba, Diego de Mazariegos, calling it Villa Real; that later was called Chiapa de los Indios.'

A high clock tower which was constructed in the 1950’s.

UNESCO Heritage Board

Handicraft worker

Open space. The main square is surrounded by portals, the building of the H. Municipal Council and the house of Don Ángel Albino Corzo, liberal branch of the First Constituent Congress.

Chiapas lady vendors selling their handlooms.........

Above see a view of the market building. Some other points of interest in the city are its neighborhood chapels such as San Jacinto or El Calvario, which houses a magnificent Renaissance altarpiece carved in wood with the theme of the Crucifixion; the ruins of the colonial temple of San Sebastián or the pre-Hispanic ruins of the pre-classical and classical times and the Marimba Museum. In its rich craftsmanship, the lacquer, wood carving and embroidery recently designated Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. Its traditional drink called ‘Pozol’is worth a try. The Fiesta Grande de Enero (Great January Feast) takes place from 4 to 23 January every year in Chiapa de Corzo, to honor local patron saints Our Lord of Esquipulas, Anthony the Great and Saint Sebastian. This festival is very important for the people of Chiapa de Corzo. Accompanying the Parachicos or dancing on their own is another type of dancer called “chuntas”. These are men dressed as women as the word chunta means maid or servant. These figures represent the “servants” of Doña María. . On the 21 of January a mock naval battle takes place on the Grijalva River, which consists of a spectacle using thousands of fireworks. the battle is a recreation of the Battle of Puerto Arturo which occurred on 21 January 1906. (Write up based on text sourced from the internet.)