States in the region
| State | Capital | Population (2020) | Area km² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chiapas | Tuxtla Gutiérrez | 5,543,828 | 73,311 |
| Guerrero | Chilpancingo | 3,540,685 | 63,596 |
| Oaxaca | Oaxaca City | 4,132,148 | 93,757 |
The three states cover 230,664 km², about 12 per cent of Mexico, and had 13,216,661 inhabitants in 2020, roughly one Mexican in ten. All three front the Pacific; Chiapas also borders Guatemala along 654 km. This is the most linguistically diverse part of the country: about 31 per cent of people in Oaxaca and about 28 per cent in Chiapas speak an indigenous language, against 6 per cent nationally. Oaxaca is also the most fragmented state administratively, with 570 municipalities — more than a fifth of all the municipalities in Mexico.
Geography
The Sierra Madre del Sur runs along the coast through Guerrero and western Oaxaca, leaving only a narrow shelf between the mountains and the sea and pushing the interior up to 2,000–3,000 m. Behind it the Balsas depression drains west across Guerrero to the Pacific. In Oaxaca the range meets the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca, and between the two sit the Central Valleys at about 1,550 m, where the capital and most of the state's people are. The highest summit in Oaxaca, Cerro Nube in the Sierra Sur, reaches about 3,700 m.
East of the valleys the land collapses to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the narrowest part of Mexico at about 200 km between the Gulf and the Pacific and the lowest pass in the whole cordillera at around 250 m. Beyond it Chiapas is built in four strips: the Sierra Madre de Chiapas on the coast, topped by the Tacaná volcano at 4,060 m on the Guatemalan border; the hot Central Depression along the Grijalva, where the river has cut the 1,000 m walls of the Sumidero Canyon; the Chiapas Highlands around 2,200 m; and the Lacandon rainforest falling east to the Usumacinta, the river with the greatest flow in Mexico. See the physical map and the rivers map.
Main cities and sights
Oaxaca City is the region's cultural centre, a 16th-century grid below Monte Albán, the Zapotec capital occupied from about 500 BC. Mitla, Hierve el Agua and the mezcal villages of Tlacolula lie within an hour. In Chiapas, Tuxtla Gutiérrez is the state capital and transport hub, San Cristóbal de las Casas the highland colonial town and base for the Tzotzil and Tzeltal villages around it, and Palenque the Maya city at the jungle edge, with Yaxchilán and Bonampak further up the Usumacinta — the main cluster on the archaeological sites map.
The coast carries the resorts. Acapulco in Guerrero is the oldest, on a near-enclosed bay; Zihuatanejo and the planned resort of Ixtapa are 240 km north-west. In Oaxaca, Puerto Escondido is known for the Zicatela beach break and Huatulco for nine bays developed from 1984. Inland Guerrero holds Taxco, the silver town on the Mexico City road, and the state capital Chilpancingo. The beaches map covers the whole shoreline.
When to go and getting around
November to April is dry and clear; the rains run June to October and the Pacific hurricane season peaks in September and October. Highland weather is separate from the coast — San Cristóbal at 2,200 m averages about 15 °C year-round and is cold at night, while Tuxtla, 1,600 m lower and 50 km away, sits near 30 °C. Airports are Oaxaca (OAX), Tuxtla Gutiérrez (TGZ), Tapachula (TAP), Acapulco (ACA), Zihuatanejo (ZIH), Puerto Escondido (PXM) and Huatulco (HUX). By road, MX-95D reaches Acapulco from Mexico City in about 4 hours and MX-135D reaches Oaxaca City in about 6; the Barranca Larga–Ventanilla highway, opened in 2024, cut the drive from Oaxaca City down to the coast to roughly 3 hours. The Interoceanic Corridor railway across the Isthmus links Salina Cruz to Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf.
Questions about southern Mexico
Which states are in southern Mexico?
On this map, Chiapas, Guerrero, Oaxaca — the three Pacific-facing states south of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. Tabasco, Veracruz and the Yucatán states are usually treated as the south-east rather than the south.
Where is Oaxaca City on the map?
In the Central Valleys of Oaxaca at about 1,555 m, 460 km south-east of Mexico City by the MX-135D toll road, roughly 6 hours by car or an hour by air. Monte Albán stands on the ridge 9 km west of the centre.
How far is Acapulco from Mexico City?
About 380 km on the MX-95D Autopista del Sol, roughly 4 hours by car. The airport (ACA) is 25 km east of the bay.
What is the best time to visit southern Mexico?
November to April, the dry months. Rain falls from June to October and the Pacific hurricane season peaks in September and October; Hurricane Otis struck Acapulco as a Category 5 storm in October 2023.
Is southern Mexico safe to visit?
Advisories differ by state and are revised through the year: Oaxaca and Chiapas usually carry lower levels than Guerrero, where travel warnings cover much of the interior. Check the current US State Department advisory for each state before you go.