Words and Photos Florence Nathania

“You have to go to Chiapas!” A friend said, trying to convince me when I was still in Indonesia before my first visit to Mexico.

At that time, I was was attracted to more popular destinations, such as Acapulco or Cancun.

Once I was living in Mexico, however, I befriended an old doctor, long familiar with the country, who changed my mind.

“There are two true beauties in Mexico,” he said. “Chiapas is one of them.” Convinced, I packed my rucksack and departed for this southeast state in Mexico.

While Mexico welcomed around 31 million foreign tourists in 2015, only 585,000 visited Chiapas.

To shine a light on this most beautiful of regions, J+ is publishing this trip report the day after Mexico celebrates its independence on Sep. 16.

ON THE WATER

Intense sunlight bathed me as sunbeams reflected off the gleaming green water of the Grijalva River, which flows all the way to Guatemala.

While it was a boiling day to commence an adventure, what my eyes saw compensated for how my skin felt.

This part of the river is home to one of the principal tourist destinations of Chiapas, the Sumidero Canyon.

I boarded a boat in Unidad Deportiva in Chiapa de Corzo, about 15 minutes from the local capital, Tuxtla Gutierrez, where I arrived after a 14-hour bus ride from Mexico City.

Together with about 20 other tourists and a Spanish-speaking boatman, I went on a 35-kilometer voyage that lasted two-and-a-half hours.

While the passengers varied in age, we all spoke Spanish. I think I got why Chiapas lacked the fame of other tourists spots in Mexico: Not enough facilities for non-Spanish speakers.

Sumidero Canyon accommodated many diverse creatures, including huge catfish, trout and tilapia, all of who were prime food sources for the black vultures and crocodiles lazing on the riverbanks. (Traveler pro tip: Keep your hands inside.)

You have to use a bit of imagination on this excursion: The boat made its first stop to observe a rock face full of stone pillars, one of which had the form of a sea horse.

We then halted to view the three cliffs depicted on the coat of arms of Chiapas.

Our cruiser paused again so we could admire the tallest cliff–one kilometer high–and a pink, grey and black cove designated the Chapel of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

We also stopped at a Christmas tree-like rock face, covered by moss, which according to our guide would form a waterfall during the rainy season.

Our return point was Chicoasén Dam, one of four supplying electricity to Chiapas, which gets almost half its energy from hydropower.

Blessed with breath-taking natural splendor and resources; Chiapas, however, remains the poorest state in Mexico.

The high temperature absorbed my energies. I could not help falling asleep during the one-hour journey from Sumidero Canyon to San Cristobal de las Casas, the only city I visited during this trip.

IN LOVE WITH WATERFALLS

At five in the morning the next day, a tour transport picked me up at my hostel. We were going to have a very long ride as we moved northeast from San Cristobal. Along with 16 others, I started the five-hour journey while sleeping in my seat.

An hour’s travel brought us to Agua Azul Cascades, where my ear caught the sound of falling water as I got out of the car.

Passing an informal gate that was likely crafted by street vendors, I saw water that was the color of light green flowing calmly through the spaces made between tree branches and twigs.

Walking on the bumpy trail while following the noise of the crashing water, I saw people soaking and splashing in the shallows–kids and parents, young adults and golden agers.

Not far away, a wooden viewing point was swarmed by tourists taking pictures with the wide cascades and the turquoise pool as a background.

A different view was offered as I reached the high point. It was like a downhill limestone hiking track, coursed by water that ran past the vegetation.

Behind were the green hills of Chiapas.

We proceeded to Misol-Ha, another waterfall in the middle of a jungle fronted by a big pond where people could swim. You could even explore a cave behind the falls via a 20-meter track complete with steps and a safety fence.

While only wide enough for one person at some points, the track was large enough to accommodate the crowds comfortably.

Snippets of adventure films crossed my mind as I walked behind the falls, from Di Caprio´s The Beach to Hutcherson´s Journey to the Center of the Earth.

In fact, however, this charming place was a location for Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predator.

Agua Azul and Misol-Ha charmed me, so I wondered how different would be Chiflon, the waterfall I visited the next day, when the sun welcomed me on a one-kilomter hike.

While it was not a difficult track, the sun again absorbed my energy. Thankfully, there were places to rest near some small and medium waterfalls along the way, so I could catch my breath.

While I was sweating when I reached the lookout point for the Velo de Novia, or Bride’s Veil, waterfall, the winds that blew in the high and open area quickly cooled me down. From the platform, I could see white water dropping in the shape of the veil, hence giving the place its name, from around 120 meters into a turquoise pool.

The local government has identified 28 natural tourism spots in Chiapas, ranging from waterfalls, lakes, caves, beaches and volcanoes. The state is also home to several endangered species, such as the water opossum, armadillo, anteater, harpy eagle, howler monkey, spider monkey, ocelot, jaguar, quetzal bird, olive ridley sea turtle, manatee and tapir.

For its natural beauties and biodiversity, Chiapas is indeed one of the true beauties of Mexico.

HOME OF THE MAYANS

In the middle of the Lacandon Rainforest rests the ruins of one of the most important Mayan cities, Palenque, which is currently the most visited tourist destination in Chiapas.

Time and nature consumed the site with greenery and soil until it was rediscovered in 1746.

Since then, historians and archaeologists have come to Palenque to learn more about the political, commercial and cultural history of the city and to unearth the estimated 98 percent of Palanque that remains buried.

The city, inhabited from 100 BCE to 900 CE, more or less, was estimated to have more than 1,400 building at its peak. The two percent of it currently unearthed spans 7.81 square kilometers.

It took me two hours to wander up and down its hills, climbing the only three edifices open at this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Due to its international fame, Palenque has a host of English-speaking tour guides, as well as those facile in French, German, Italian and Japanese.

Palenque’s long-standing king, Pakal the Great, ruled for 68 years and built much of the city.

One of its most conspicuous edifices is the Script Temple, so-called because of its inscriptions, written in a script devised by Pakal, which helped contemporary researchers understand Mayan history. The temple is also home to Pakal’s tomb, closed when I visited, which is said to be decorated by reliefs of skulls.

The next pyramid, the Tomb of the Red Queen, takes its name from the woman whose red-shrouded body is interred inside.

Passing a field where the Mayans once played one of the precursor sports to baseball, I reached palace comprising a tower, an underground gallery, latrines, steam baths, an open-air meeting place and four courtyards.

One of the yards, the Captive Courtyard, depicted the martial exploits of Palenque with sculptures of the defeated warriors of other cities. I continued my journey walking along an aqueduct and then climbing up a hill to get to the Complex of the Cross.

For the Mayans, this was a sacred place for worshipping their deities and ancestors. I climbed the highest pyramid, the Temple of the Cross, and viewed the entire excavated site of Palanque amid the foliage of the jungle.

In the late afternoon sun and cold breeze, I came down from the pyramid. It was time to say goodbye to the home of the Mayans. And as for my friend the old doctor and the second beauty of Mexico–that is another story for another day.