San Cristobal de las Casas

San Cristobal de las Casas
Coordinates: 16 ° 44 ′ N , 92 ° 38 ′ W San Cristóbal de las Casas on the map of Chiapas	San Cristobal de las Casas
	San Cristobal de las Casas
	Location of San Cristóbal de las Casas in Mexico
Basic data
Country	Mexico
State	Chiapas
Municipio	San Cristobal de las Casas
City foundation	1528
Residents	158,027 (2010)
	City insignia
Detailed data
height	2100 m
Post Code	29200-29310
prefix	(+52) 967
Time zone	UTC −6
	San Cristobal Cathedral
	San Cristobal - Indigenous Street Vendors (Chamulatzotzil)

San Cristóbal de las Casas is a city in the central highlands of Chiapas , the southernmost state of Mexico . The city is located in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas at an altitude of 2100 m and is the administrative seat of the municipality of the same name, San Cristóbal de las Casas, and the diocese of San Cristóbal de Las Casas . It was awarded as a Pueblo Magico .

population

The mountainous area around San Cristóbal is mainly inhabited by Mayans . In the towns in the north and north-west of San Cristóbal, such as Chamula and Zinacantán , inhabited by the Maya tribe of the Tzotzil , indigenous traditions and ways of life are still preserved and cultivated. The inhabitants of these villages often, if at all, speak Spanish only as their first foreign language.

history

The city was founded in 1528 as Villa Real de Chiapa . After some name changes, the city was called San Cristóbal since 1829 ; the addition de las Casas was added in 1848 to commemorate Bartolomé de Las Casas , a Spanish Dominican who stood up for the rights of the indigenous population as Bishop of Chiapas during the colonial period. The city is world famous for its colonial architecture with the monastery church of Santo Domingo (1547-60) and the 16th century monastery church and one of the most important tourist destinations in Chiapas. She served as the capital of Chiapas until 1892, in which year she was replaced in this role by Tuxtla Gutiérrez .

At the beginning of 1994, San Cristóbal de las Casas briefly came into the focus of the world public when the Zapatistas started their uprising there, organized in the EZLN , which campaigns for the rights of the indigenous population and is critical of the consequences of globalization . San Cristóbal was occupied by the Zapatistas for three days from January 1st until they were ousted by the Mexican army . The Zapatistas then withdrew to the surrounding mountains and into the primeval forests on the border with Guatemala .

Attractions

Amber Museum (Museo del Ámbar)
Centro de Textiles del Mundo Maya
cathedral
Santo Domingo Church

San Francisco Franciscan Church

Monastery Church de la Merced

Na Bolom Museum and Cultural Center

Arco del Carmen city gate

CIDECI

The CIDECI (Centro Indígena de Capacitación Integral - Indigenous Center for Integral Education) has its headquarters in San Cristóbal de Las Casas , a non-profit organization that is primarily dedicated to the education of indigenous youth from the surrounding communities.