Layout of Tuxtla Gutiérrez
Tuxtla Gutiérrez lies at 530 m in the valley of the Río Sabinal, a short tributary of the Grijalva, in the Central Depression that runs the length of Chiapas between the highlands and the Sierra Madre. The municipality held 604,147 people at the 2020 census, which makes it the largest city in a state of 5,543,828 and roughly ten times the size of San Cristóbal de las Casas, 80 km east. It has been the state capital since 1892, when the government was moved down from San Cristóbal; the name joins the Nahuatl Tuchtlán, place of rabbits, to that of Joaquín Miguel Gutiérrez, added in 1848.
The street plan is a numbered grid rather than a colonial one. Avenidas run east–west and are counted Norte and Sur; calles run north–south and are counted Oriente and Poniente; both series start at the Plaza Cívica, so an address fixes itself on the map without a district name. Avenida Central is the spine of the city and runs the full width of it, widening west of the centre into Boulevard Belisario Domínguez, which carries Federal Highway 190 through town along with the malls, most of the hotels and the first-class bus terminal.
The Plaza Cívica is a broad open esplanade, not a shaded colonial square: the buildings around it are twentieth-century, including the Catedral de San Marcos, whose tower carries a carillon with mechanical figures of the twelve apostles that come out on the hour. Four blocks west, the Parque de la Marimba has a bandstand where marimba orchestras play every evening and couples dance around it. In the wooded hills on the southern edge, the Zoológico Miguel Álvarez del Toro keeps only animals native to Chiapas, and the Parque Nacional Cañón del Sumidero begins a few kilometres north-east of the last streets.
Ángel Albino Corzo International (TGZ) is 27 km south-east, beyond Chiapa de Corzo at 1,500 m on the plateau, and is the air gateway not only for Tuxtla but for San Cristóbal, Palenque and the whole of highland Chiapas. Highway 190 runs east to Chiapa de Corzo and San Cristóbal and west to Ocozocoautla and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec; Highway 195 climbs north over the sierra to Villahermosa; Highway 199 branches from San Cristóbal towards Ocosingo and Palenque.
Distances from Tuxtla Gutiérrez
| Place | km | Time | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chiapa de Corzo | 15 | 20 min | Hwy 190, colectivo |
| Sumidero rim miradors | 22 | 40 min | Road from northern Tuxtla |
| Tuxtla airport (TGZ) | 27 | 35 min | Hwy 190 then airport road |
| Sima de las Cotorras | 60 | 1 h 15 | Hwy 190 west, then track |
| San Cristóbal de las Casas | 80 | 1 h 15 | Hwy 190D toll, frequent buses |
| Comitán | 165 | 2 h 30 | Hwy 190 via San Cristóbal |
| Villahermosa | 290 | 4 h 30 | Hwy 195 over the sierra |
| Palenque | 290 | 5 h 30 | Hwy 199 via Ocosingo |
| Tapachula | 380 | 5 h | Hwy 190 then 200 |
| Oaxaca City | 545 | 7 h 30 | Hwy 190 via the Isthmus |
| Mexico City | 850 | 11 h | Hwy 190 then 145D and 150D |
The Sumidero Canyon and around
The Cañón del Sumidero is the reason most visitors stop in Tuxtla. The Grijalva has cut a gorge some 13 km long through the limestone north-east of the city, with walls that stand up to 1,000 m above the water; the profile appears on the coat of arms of Chiapas. The river through it is not free-flowing but the reservoir of the Chicoasén dam, completed in 1980 and, at 261 m, one of the tallest embankment dams in the world. Boats run from the embarcadero at Chiapa de Corzo past the Árbol de Navidad seep and colonies of crocodiles and spider monkeys; the road route along the western rim reaches five lookouts, the highest of which, La Coyota, stands about 1,200 m above the river.
Chiapa de Corzo, 15 km east on the Grijalva, was founded in 1528 and is the oldest Spanish town in Chiapas. Its main square holds La Pila, a mudéjar brick fountain of 1562 built as a covered cistern, and its January Fiesta de Enero, with the masked Parachicos dancers, was inscribed on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage in 2010. The site mound beside the town has produced the earliest Long Count date yet found in Mexico, 36 BC.
West of the city the limestone country holds the Sima de las Cotorras, a sinkhole 160 m across and 140 m deep from which several hundred green parakeets fly out at dawn, and the Cascadas El Aguacero, reached by a stairway of about 700 steps into the Río La Venta gorge. El Chichón, the volcano whose 1982 eruption killed some 2,000 people and cooled global temperatures for two years, stands about 100 km north-west; it is on the volcanoes map. Tuxtla is the practical base for Southern Mexico, and the rivers map and archaeological sites map show how the Grijalva and the Maya country to the north-east fit together.
Questions about Tuxtla Gutiérrez
Where is Tuxtla Gutiérrez on the map of Mexico?
In the far south, at 16.75° N, 93.12° W, in the Central Depression of Chiapas at 530 m. It is about 850 km south-east of Mexico City by road and 290 km south of Villahermosa.
How far is Tuxtla Gutiérrez from San Cristóbal de las Casas?
80 km east on Highway 190D, about 1 h 15 min by car. The road climbs from 530 m to 2,200 m in that distance; buses and shared vans leave every few minutes from the terminals on Boulevard Belisario Domínguez.
How do you visit the Sumidero Canyon from Tuxtla?
Two ways. Boats leave from the embarcadero at Chiapa de Corzo, 15 km east, and run about two hours up the Grijalva between walls that rise to 1,000 m. The five miradors on the western rim are reached by road from the north edge of Tuxtla, 20 to 25 km.
What is the weather like in Tuxtla Gutiérrez?
Hot and dry-tropical. Afternoons reach 32–35 °C most of the year and nights rarely fall below 18 °C; the rains run from May to October. San Cristóbal, an hour away and 1,700 m higher, is 10–12 °C cooler. See the climate map.