This Colonial town was once the capital of Southern Mexico and home of Cortez. It is very unusual in topography with 3 “sugarloaf” type hills around a central basin. Atop each steep hill is a beautiful church with long steps leading up to them. In the town is the most beautiful ancient Cathedral – dazzling white and the architecture is marvelous with hardly any columns obstructing the view of the altars in front – a huge open-air effect that is very nice. For some reason I swear I have had the very best Orange Juice in this town of anywhere in the world! I hear the Gato Gordo is a wonderful Pub here. The indigena population here dressed in ropa tipica have always been a little stand-offish or even cold but perhaps they do not speak even Spanish and they will rarely meet your eyes. Please do not take their picture as they believe it steals their souls. The area has had some turmoil as Commandante Marcos operates in the surrounding countryside but I don’t think this is a big problem now to tourism. It is at a high elevation so that the nights are downright cold here. You can look down on the much warmer town of Tuxtla-Gutierrez below and have to zig-zag up a highway to get to San Cristobal from there. It is a colonial national park so no changes can be made to the town without permission. This has always been a hugely popular town with European visitors. Very Scenic.