Geography
Chiapas covers 73,311 km² in five bands running north-west to south-east. The Pacific plain, the Soconusco, is a narrow strip of banana and coffee land behind about 260 km of coast and mangrove lagoons. Behind it the Sierra Madre de Chiapas rises to Tacaná, a volcano of 4,060 m on the Guatemalan border and the highest point in the state. Inland lies the Central Depression, the hot Grijalva valley where Tuxtla Gutiérrez sits at 522 m. North-east of that the Chiapas Highlands reach 2,000–2,800 m around San Cristóbal de las Casas, and beyond them the land falls away to the Lacandon Jungle and the Gulf lowlands at Palenque.
The Grijalva and the Usumacinta drain the state, and the Usumacinta — the largest river in Mexico by volume — forms much of the border with Guatemala. Together the two basins carry roughly a third of Mexico's surface water, and four dams on the Grijalva (La Angostura, Chicoasén, Malpaso and Peñitas) supply a large share of the country's hydroelectric power. The Grijalva cuts the Sumidero Canyon just downstream of Chiapa de Corzo, where the walls stand about 1,000 m above the water. Other well-documented features are the Agua Azul and Misol-Ha waterfalls on the road north, the Montebello lakes on the Guatemalan border, and the Maya cities of Palenque, Yaxchilán and Bonampak.
Chiapas grows more coffee than any other state, along with maize, bananas, cacao and mango, and has the highest share of indigenous-language speakers in Mexico alongside Oaxaca — Tzotzil and Tzeltal are the largest of the twelve recognised languages. The state is divided into 124 municipalities. Two active volcanoes stand here: Tacaná on the border, and El Chichón in the north, whose 1982 eruption killed about 2,000 people and covered several municipalities in ash — the deadliest eruption in modern Mexican history, mapped on the volcanoes map. Rainfall is heavy on the northern and eastern slopes, where more than 2,000 mm a year falls, and the wet season runs from May to October across the state.
Main cities
Population figures are 2020 INEGI census counts for the whole municipality. Tuxtla Gutiérrez has been the capital since 1892, when the seat moved from San Cristóbal; the two are 75 km apart on Highway 190D but 1,600 m apart in altitude, and Tapachula on the coast is the main crossing point for trade and migration from Central America.
| Municipality | Population (2020) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Tuxtla Gutiérrez | 604,147 | Capital; 522 m, Central Depression |
| Tapachula | 353,706 | Soconusco; Guatemalan border trade |
| Ocosingo | 234,000 | Largest municipality by area; Lacandon |
| San Cristóbal de las Casas | 215,874 | Highlands, 2,120 m; colonial centre |
| Comitán de Domínguez | 166,000 | Highway 190 to the Montebello lakes |
| Palenque | 127,000 | Maya site and national park |
| Villaflores | 110,000 | Frailesca; maize and cattle |
| Chiapa de Corzo | 102,000 | Sumidero Canyon boat landing |
| Tonalá | 86,000 | Pacific coast, Highway 200 |
Neighbouring states
Chiapas has three Mexican neighbours — Oaxaca, Veracruz, Tabasco — and one international one. Guatemala lies along the whole eastern and southern land frontier, about 660 km of it, with official crossings at Ciudad Hidalgo and Talismán near Tapachula, Ciudad Cuauhtémoc east of Comitán and Frontera Corozal on the Usumacinta. The Oaxaca border crosses the isthmus in the west, Veracruz touches the north-west corner, and Tabasco lies along the northern lowlands. The state belongs to Southern Mexico and its coast to the Pacific Coast.
Getting there
Ángel Albino Corzo airport (TGZ) serves Tuxtla Gutiérrez from 35 km south-east of the city and takes most traffic; Tapachula (TAP) and Palenque (PQM) handle smaller domestic services. By road, Highway 190D and 145D link Mexico City to Tuxtla Gutiérrez, about 860 km and 11 hours, most people flying instead. Highway 190 runs the length of the state from the isthmus to the Guatemalan border through Tuxtla, San Cristóbal and Comitán; Highway 200 follows the Pacific plain; Highway 199 climbs from Palenque to the highlands; and Highway 186 crosses the north from Villahermosa toward Campeche. See the airports map, the road map and the rivers map for the Usumacinta.
Questions about Chiapas
Where is Chiapas on the map of Mexico?
In the far south-east corner, on the Pacific, bordering Guatemala along its entire eastern and southern land frontier. Tuxtla Gutiérrez is about 860 km from Mexico City by road, roughly 11 hours.
What is the Sumidero Canyon?
A gorge on the Grijalva River just east of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, with walls rising to about 1,000 m above the water. Boats run from Chiapa de Corzo through the canyon to the Chicoasén dam; a road along the rim has five lookouts.
How far is San Cristóbal de las Casas from Palenque?
About 210 km by Highway 199, five to six hours, because the road drops from 2,120 m to the Gulf lowlands through the highlands. Most visitors break the trip at the Agua Azul and Misol-Ha waterfalls.
Is Chiapas safe to visit?
San Cristóbal de las Casas, Palenque, the Sumidero Canyon and Tuxtla Gutiérrez are visited year-round. The US State Department has advised against travel to parts of the state near the Guatemalan border, and roadblocks by community groups are common on rural highways. Check the current advisory before travelling.