Forums > Areas > Southern Mexico

Hound Dog

Nov 14, 2010, 5:12 PM

Post #1 of 11 (6662 views)

Shortcut

Approaching San Cristóbal de Las Casas

Can't Post | Private Reply

Towns of note in Mexico are usually unimpressive upon entry. You can drive by Puebla a thousand times on the cuota without noting anything and I dare you to find anything in the least bit impressive about Morelia wihin its confines unless you find its historic center interesting. Patzcuaro promises treasures never delivered. San Miguel is a hill town with cartoonish candy store architectural inachievements only promising because of regional overreaching, Guadalajara is solumn Spanish rectitude marred by modern guttings, San Cristóbal is self-proud somnulence, Quereatero is overblown plazas, Mérida is sweaty hogsbreath.

There must be some place I admire.

(This post was edited by Hound Dog on Nov 14, 2010, 7:15 PM)

Jimbo

Dec 15, 2010, 2:33 PM

Post #2 of 11 (6298 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Hound Dog] Approaching San Cristóbal de Las Casas

Can't Post | Private Reply

My wife and I just spent 2 1/2 days freezing our asses off in San Cristóbal . We could NEVER get warm, in the hotel room or anywhere, for that matter. Lovely city but way too cold for these ex Canadians. We love Chiapas. Palenque and the ruins were wonderful, Tuxla is an undiscovered (by expats) gem, with a first class zoo, great museums, a wonderful science centre and a lively downtown park (Miramba Park, where there is live music every night). But San Cristóbal is way too frio for us. And, quite frankly, it is overrated as a cultural centre. We opted to spend the last five days of our vacation in Chiapa de Corzo, a gem of a small colonial city located about 20 km from Tuxla, which we had taken a day tour to. It helps to speak Spanish, which we do. It is located along the Sumidero River, famed throughout Mexico for its scenery. The plaza is huge, with delightful shops and restaurants surrounding it and the cathedral nearby. And it is WARM. We can't understand why more expats don't live here. Apologies to Willy, who I know reads these forums, but Comala doesn't even come close to this place - as pretty as it is. I would move here in a Mexico City moment! And to Hound Dog. Does it EVER get warm in San Cristóbal?

Jim Bentein

Vichil

Dec 15, 2010, 3:53 PM

Post #3 of 11 (6288 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Jimbo] Approaching San Cristóbal de Las Casas

Can't Post | Private Reply

It gets warmer in March and April but never gets hot that is why a hotel room with a fireplace is a must . It is easy enough to go at lower altitude and get warmer. Comitan is warmer and is a nice colonial city.
Chiapa de Corzo is also very nice although the Sumidero is vastly overrated in my opinion, especially when the garbage is floating along the tourists boats...The town has a lot of charm and I love going there when it is not too hot and humid and when it is very windy.

Jimbo

Dec 16, 2010, 8:47 AM

Post #4 of 11 (6226 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Vichil] Approaching San Cristóbal de Las Casas

Can't Post | Private Reply

So, my question is, why would any expat in his right mind live there? We are really enjoying Chiapa de Corzo. It has a couple of very good restaurants, the hotel we are staying in is very decent and it is very pleasant in the plaza and along the river. The riverside restaurants, with marimba music most of the day, are a nice place to spend some time. And although it is chilly in the morning, by 10 a.m. it is sunny and warm. I know that HoundDog bought a place in San Cristóbal and I don´t get it. My idea of living in Mexico is not needing a fireplace most of the year to stay warm. Chiapa de Corzo is delightful and, yet, I have not noticed any expats who appear to live here. You do need a command of some Spanish, which may be the main reason. But rents are low, it is close to the big city of Tuxla, with all of its amenities. And the climate is almost perfect. What am I missing?

Jim Bentein

La Isla

Dec 16, 2010, 9:42 AM

Post #5 of 11 (6209 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Jimbo] Approaching San Cristóbal de Las Casas

Can't Post | Private Reply

I wonder what the weather's like in Chiapa de Corzo in the spring and summer. I imagine it would be rather hot and humid.

chinagringo

Dec 16, 2010, 9:55 AM

Post #6 of 11 (6204 views)

Shortcut

Re: [La Isla] Approaching San Cristóbal de Las Casas

Can't Post | Private Reply

Doesn't Jimbo reside in Mazatlan? Hot and humid doesn't fit my idea of a good time.
Regards,
Neil
Albuquerque, NM

La Isla

Dec 16, 2010, 10:06 AM

Post #7 of 11 (6201 views)

Shortcut

Re: [chinagringo] Approaching San Cristóbal de Las Casas

Can't Post | Private Reply

In Reply To

Doesn't Jimbo reside in Mazatlan? Hot and humid doesn't fit my idea of a good time.

I live in Mexico City to escape hot-and-humid and visit hot-and-humid areas of Mexico only in winter!

Jimbo

Dec 24, 2010, 1:18 PM

Post #8 of 11 (5986 views)

Shortcut

Re: [La Isla] Approaching San Cristóbal de Las Casas

Can't Post | Private Reply

Yes, I do live in Mazatlan - and you're right - it's friggin hot and humid in the summer. That's why I usually manage to escape to Canada for a few weeks and to Chapala.
Back now in Maz, where the winter weather is great.
The locals told us that Chiapa de Corzo is hot in the summer - but hot and "seco" (dry). According to them, it is quite tolerable.
Chiapas is WONDERFUL.
The only reason more English-speaking expats don't live there, I suppose, is because few of the Mexicans speak English in Tuxla, Corzo and other cities. San Cristobel and Palenque certainly have some English speakers. But our Spanish is decent, so we could get by.
Are there any expats living there who populate this board?
Merry Christmas to everyone, by the way.

Jimbo

Dec 24, 2010, 1:20 PM

Post #9 of 11 (5986 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Vichil] Approaching San Cristóbal de Las Casas

Can't Post | Private Reply

Didn't end up in Comitan. Where is it, relative to Chiapa de Corzo? Can you describe it?

Vichil

Dec 26, 2010, 9:26 AM

Post #10 of 11 (5875 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Jimbo] Approaching San Cristóbal de Las Casas

Can't Post | Private Reply

Most of the English speaking peole in San Cristobal are tourists . The English speaking expat population is very small and many of them speak Spanish.

Comitan is a small city where the famous doctor and politician Belisario Dominguez was born and lived. When visiting his house in Comitan I saw a lot of med school books in French and found out he was Sorbonne educated as it was easier to get to France in these days than Mexico City and also was most prestigious, I guess.
Comitan has a nice climate and is close to the beautiful Montebello Lakes. Part of the municipality is within 50 km from the border.
It is a nice little colonial city. It is two hours from San Cristobal, going there you pass Teopisca which is a big week-end destination for the Coletos . Teopisca is also warmer than San Cristobal. You missed out on a nice area if you did not travel that way. The Lakes are wonderful, the ruins and cenote in Chinkultic nice and the Santa Maria Hacienda is a wonderful overnight place or a place to have a meal in a great location.

Comitan is more isolated than Chiapa de Corzo, it does not have the river or the tourist trade of Chiapa de Corzo. I would not like to live in Chiapa de Corzo without A/C it is too hot for my taste. It is nice because it is close to the amenities in Tuxtla.

By the way the hot time is March and April, the summer days can be nice after the rain which cools off the place nicely.

Any one saying that Chiapa de Corzo in the summer has dry heat does not know dry heat is , it is very humid and only someone from the coast would find the heat in Chiapa de Corzo dry.
The heat in Tuxtla and Chiapa de Corzo is humid and uncomfortable. I think the altitude is about 500 meter so it says it all. It is dryer than Palenque or Tapachula so everything is relative....

I spent some uncomfortable nights in Chiapa de Corzo in January as the rooms only had fans....

Jimbo

Dec 26, 2010, 9:40 AM

Post #11 of 11 (5868 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Vichil] Approaching San Cristóbal de Las Casas

Can't Post | Private Reply

Thanks for that. It's a big, very interesting state. We'll be back to visit for sure. Not sure we'd ever move there, since we still like Mazatlan (despite the drug-related violence and the summer heat). But we will put Comitan on our list of places to go to.