San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico
San Cristóbal de las Casas is a town of 215,874 people in Chiapas, Mexico, founded in April 10, 1528.
Why visit San Cristóbal de las Casas
Townapedia lists 45 museums and landmarks, 7 parks and trails, 282 places to eat, 153 places to stay and 3 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Sala De Bellas Artes, Kinoki and Casa Na Bolom.
Weather in San Cristóbal de las Casas
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About San Cristóbal de las Casas
San Cristóbal de las Casas (Spanish: [saŋkɾisˈtoβal de las ˈkasas] ), also known by its native Tzotzil name, Jovel (pronounced [xɤ̞ˈve̞l]), is a town and municipality located in the Central Highlands region of the Mexican state of Chiapas. It was the capital of the state until 1892, and is still considered the cultural capital of Chiapas.
From the Wikipedia article San Cristóbal de las Casas (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: San Cristóbal de las Casas on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do3
Sala De Bellas Artes
Cinema and theater
13 Avenida Miguel-Hidalgo
Mo-Su 08:00-22:00
Teatro Municipal Alberto Domínguez Borrás
Cinema and theater
Avenida Miguel-Hidalgo, San Cristóbal de Las Casas
Museums and landmarks45
Espacio de Arte Muy
Museum · 1.4 km
Indigenous peoples contemporary art gallery in Chiapas, Mexico
Museo de Medicina Maya
Museum · 2.3 km
Cultural Museum in Chiapas, Mexico
Etéreo Taller
Museum · 1.0 km
Taller de arte, artesania, diseño y estudio de tatuaje
94 Guadalupe Victoria, San Cristobal de las Casas Chiapas
10:00-20:00
Museo Mesoamericano del Jade
Museum · 1.3 km
43 Calle Comitán, San Cristóbal de Las Casas
Mo-Sa 09:00-20:00; Su 09:30-17:00
Beau Dégât [bo.de.ga]
Museum · 0.6 km
29200 Cuauhtémoc, San Cristóbal de Las Casas
Tu-Su 13:00-20:00
GatoNegro Espacio Colectivo
Museum · 1.4 km
11a Avenida Pichucalco
Mo-Su 10:00-20:00
La Tozi Galeria Hotel
Museum · 1.0 km
51 Real de Guadelupe, San Cristóbal de las Casas
Mo-Su 08:00-20:00
33 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds7
Zona Sujeta a Conservación Ecológica Humedales de Montaña La Kisst
Hiking and trails · 1.1 km
Restaurants and cafes282
Kim - Cocina Panasiática
Restaurant · Asian · 0.9 km
Have delivery. Ramen, sashimi, rollitos, dumplings,...
13 Avenida 5 de Mayo, San Cristóbal de Las Casas
Mo, Tu, Th-Su 12:30-21:00
Black Dragon Coffee Center
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 1.4 km
105a Francisco I. Madero
Mo-Fr 10:00-20:00; Sa 11:00-19:00; Su 11:00-15:00
Chimichurri
Restaurant · Barbecue · 0.7 km
11 Avenida Benito Juárez, San Cristóbal de Las Casas
Mo-Su 08:00-22:00
Churrería La Santa ju
Cafe · Churro · 0.7 km
27 Calle Diego de Mazariegos, San Cristóbal de Las Casas
Mo-Su 13:00-22:00
Donki Burritos Sancris
Restaurant · Mexican · 1.3 km
139 Calle Real de Guadalupe, San Cristóbal de las Casas
Tu-Su 11:00-20:40
Fercho'z Pizzas
Restaurant · Pizza · 1.0 km
84 Calle Guadalupe Victoria, San Cristóbal de Las Casas
Mo-Sa 08:00-22:00; Su 14:30-22:00
La Minerva - Pizzas a la leña
Restaurant · Pizza
18 Hermanos Dominguez, San Cristóbal de Las Casas
Tu-Sa 13:00-23:00; Su 13:00-19:00
La Peregrina
Restaurant · Mexican · 1.0 km
12 Calle Profesora María Adelina Flores, San Cristóbal de las Casas
We-Sa 07:00-22:00; Mo-Tu 08:00-18:00
Petite Fondue
Restaurant · French · 0.6 km
6A Avenida Miguel Hidalgo, San Cristóbal de Las Casas
Mo-Th, Su 13:00-22:00; Fr, Sa 13:00-23:00
Sendas
Cafe · Mexican · 1.1 km
50 Calle Profesora María Adelina Flores, San Cristóbal de Las Casas
Tu-Su 10:00-20:00
Xocol-Na Chocolate & Churros
Cafe · Churros, Chocolate · 0.7 km
14 Avenida Benito Juárez, San Cristóbal de Las Casas
Tu-Su 07:00-12:00,17:00-22:30
270 more on the map.
History
The city was founded as Villa Real de Chiapa in 1528 by Diego de Mazariegos in what was called the Hueyzacatlán Valley, which means "pasture" in Nahuatl. From then on, the city went through a number of name changes: to Villa Viciosa in 1529, to Villa de San Cristóbal de los Llanos in 1531, and to Ciudad Real in 1536. It was changed to Ciudad de San Cristóbal in 1829. "de las Casas" was added in 1848 in honor of Bartolomé de las Casas. There were some modifications in the early 20th century to the name but it returned to San Cristóbal de las Casas in 1943. In the Tzotzil and Tzeltal languages the name of the area is Jovel, "the place in the clouds".
From the History section of San Cristóbal de las Casas on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay153
Hotel Tierra Maya
Motel and hotel · 0.9 km
28 Avenida de la Almolonga, San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas.
Churches and places of worship16
Iglesia Universal del Reino de Dios
Church · 1.1 km
Avenida 16 de Septiembre, San Cristóbal de Las Casas
Shopping28
El Gato Centinela
Shop · 1.1 km
18b Calle Flavio A. Paniagua, San Cristóbal de las Casas
Gas and EV charging2
Schools, colleges and libraries16
Universidad Autónoma Chapingo
School · 1.0 km
85 Diego de Mazariegos, San Cristóbal de Las Casas
Healthcare24
Farmacias Aguilar
Clinic and pharmacy · 1.0 km
59 Calle Real de Guadalupe, San Cristóbal de las Casas
Núcleo Médico Metropolitano
Clinic and pharmacy · 0.9 km
65 Calle Diego de Mazariegos, San Cristóbal de Las Casas
Sanatorio Ornelas
Hospital · 1.0 km
61 Calle 1 de Marzo, san cristobal de las casas
Farmacias De la Cruz
Clinic and pharmacy · 1.2 km
98 Calle Real de Guadalupe, San Cristóbal de Las Casas
Map of San Cristóbal de las Casas
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Aeropuerto Internacional Ángel Albino Corzo (TGZ) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 45 km away.
- San Antonio del Monte 4 km northwest, about 4 min by car
- Molino los Arcos 4 km northeast, about 4 min by car
- El Pinar 5 km northeast, about 5 min by car
- Milpoleta 5 km northwest, about 5 min by car
- Ichintón 6 km northwest, about 6 min by car
- Saclamantón 6 km north, about 6 min by car
- La Selva Natividad 6 km northwest, about 6 min by car
- Zacualpa Ecatepec 7 km southwest, about 7 min by car
- Cruztón 7 km northeast, about 7 min by car
- Tuxtla 51 km west, about 51 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Montaje de San Cristóbal de Las Casas, self., CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sta Lucia, 29250 San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chis., Mexico - panoramio, holachetumal, CC BY 3.0
- Centro Cultural del Carmen - San Cristóbal de las Casas - 1, ProtoplasmaKid, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Centro Cultural del Carmen - San Cristóbal de las Casas - 4, ProtoplasmaKid, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Centro Cultural del Carmen - San Cristóbal de las Casas - 2, ProtoplasmaKid, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Centro Cultural del Carmen - San Cristóbal de las Casas - 3, ProtoplasmaKid, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Celebración de la Virgen del Carmen en San Cristóbal de las Casas, Iordi Requena, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Casa nah bolom, Leogeograph, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Museo de la Medicina Maya 4, StellarD, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Espacio-de-la-galeria-en-2014, Atolteniuk, CC BY-SA 4.0
- San Cristóbal de Las Casas 18, Odysseus79, Public domain
- Sancris08, Omar91, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Masa amarilla, Hugoscopico, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Masa blanca, Hugoscopico, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Un Hotel en San Cristobal de las Casas. - panoramio, holachetumal, CC BY 3.0
- BakeryInsurgentesSanCris, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Casas coloniales en San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas. - panoramio, holachetumal, CC BY 3.0
- FacadeSantaLuciaSanCris, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Templo Sta Lucía, Gabriel Garduño, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Llegando a San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas. - panoramio, holachetumal, CC BY 3.0
- Día en San Cris, Sofía Martínez Parente García, CC BY-SA 4.0
- MercadoArtesaniasSanCris, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 03 - San Cristobal de las Casas 010 (2866092768), Luca Nebuloni, CC BY 2.0
- 03 - San Cristobal de las Casas 007 (2974975868), Luca Nebuloni, CC BY 2.0
- PlazaSanCris, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Una calle en San Critobal de las Casas, Chiapas. - panoramio, holachetumal, CC BY 3.0
- Hotel La Joya, https://www.flickr.com/photos/khavez/, CC BY-SA 2.0
- StatueBartolomedelasCasasSanCris, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- PlazaStatueBartolomeSanCris, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Monumento a Fray Bartolomé de las Casas - 1, ProtoplasmaKid, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Monumento a Fray Bartolomé de las Casas - 3, ProtoplasmaKid, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Monumento a Fray Bartolomé de las Casas - 2, ProtoplasmaKid, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Monumento a Fray Bartolomé de las Casas - 4, ProtoplasmaKid, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Hotel Parador San Cristóbal, Eduardo Robles Pacheco from Tapachula, Chiapas., México, CC BY 2.0
- Torre Carmen, Gabriel Garduño, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Templo del Carmen, Gabriel Garduño, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 13 feb 2010 (Ida Lore y Gineco 2do mes 051, Juan Carlos Velasco Santos, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Templo del Carmen, Sn Cristobal de las Casas, Armando Pineda Ortiz, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ArtesaniaMarketfromPlaza, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Statue of Bartolome de las Casas - San Cristobal de las Casas - Chiapas - Mexico (15024584504), Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0
Page built November 4, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.

