Nature in Chiapas knows no limits; it overflows in countless animals and plants, in the power of a river, in the roar of a waterfall or the chilling depths of a canyon. The spectacular geography seems to compete with the beauty of its archaeological zones, the cultural richness of its indigenous communities and the elegance of its colonial cities. An unforgettable adventure, not exempt from magic, taste and colour; an approach to the exuberant nature, or an encounter with the grassroots of the old pre Hispanic cultures, are part of the charms in Chiapas, a state of imposing vegetation and tumultuous rivers located in the south of Mexico, on the limit with Guatemala.

Journeys through the legendary places of Chiapas have its capital, Tuxla Gutierrez, as their perfect starting point. Located 1080 kilometres south of the City of Mexico, it is the centre of the commercial, economic and political activities of the state since 1892.Tuxla imposes itself in the midst of a fertile valley at 550 metres above sea level, and its history goes back to the pre Hispanic period, when the Zoque Indians settled in this zone, which they gave the name of Coyatoc (place or land of rabbits).Later the Aztecs would show up (between 1486 and 1505), and they would call it by the same name, though using the word Tochtlán, its equivalent in the Nahuátl language. With the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors the name would be twisted into a new word: Tuxtla. The added Gutierrez was imposed in 1848 to pay homage to Joaquin Miguel Gutierrez, a connoted and renowned federalist. In spite of its potential wealth (large farming areas, oil fields, and rivers that generate more than half of the electric power the country consumes), Chiapas is one of the poorest states in Mexico, especially in rural areas inhabited by indigenous groups.