San Cristobal Indigenous Villages Tour: Explore San Juan Chamula & Zinacantan
4.6
7 Ratings
San Juan Chamula
Immerse yourself in the vibrant culture of San Cristobal de Las Casas on this Indigenous Villages Tour. Explore the unique churches, traditional trades, and beautiful textiles of San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan.
Duration:
6 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- San Juan Chamula - San Juan Chamula, (10 km from San Cristobal de las Casas) is a town steeped in history, and yet also allows a look into the Mayas of today This is the largest Maya township in Chiapas with a population over 40,000 Tzotzil speakers, one of the 31 Mayan languages. This region is known for its agricultural and ceremonial lifestyles, which are a mixture of Catholic and Mayan beliefs. The Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist, in fact, is not part of any Diocese because residents desire the freedom to perform various types of rituals.
- Zinacantan - The road to the village of San Lorenzo Zinancantan is about 11 km. long. Zinancantán people are also Tzotzil Mayans and the predominant dress is in very distinctive costumes of pink and purple. Admire the first hand the laborious handmade work of the weaver women, who, with a loom at their waists, make magnificent textile pieces such as ‘Huipiles’, tablecloths, bedspreads and cushion covers
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San Cristobal de las Casas - Walk along the picturesque streets of San Cristobal de las Casas
At San Cristobal de Las Casas you will visit the historical center including Zocalo (main plaza), the Cathedral, the Law Faculty, and other buildings rich in colonial architecture such as the Casa de las Artesanias, Casa de Cultura and the Arco del Carmen. The final part of the tour is the visit to the central market and Santo Domingo Church.
What's Included
- Professional guide
- Transport by air-conditioned minivan
- Hotel pickup and drop-off (selected hotels only)
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
Additional Information
Join this original tour of San Cristobal de Las Casas, a mix of Indigenous and local villages full of colors and traditions.
San Cristobal is made up of a series of traditional barrios (neighborhoods), each of which is known for a particular trade or custom, such as ironworking, carpentry, and woodcarving.
On this tour, you will visit San Juan Chamula village who owns a church unlike any other. The picturesque, centuries-old Iglesia San Juan has whitewashed walls and a brightly painted entrance that looks out upon the town square.
After you will visit Zinacantan village, you’ll have the opportunity to learn all about the work of the women of Zinacantán, who weave uniquely beautiful textiles with a special loom attached to their belts. Having admired the traditional hupiles and blankets, you’ll then have the opportunity to taste the local fare and try a local dish.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Location
San Juan Chamula
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.6
(7 Ratings)
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1 star
Greyeslpz
Sep 27, 2023
Tours - The tours are very worth it, you can choose several tour options, we went to the Montebello lagoons and we reached the border with Guatemala, we also went to the El Chiflón waterfall, it is a spectacular place and the waterfalls are super beautiful. Another route is Zinacantán and San Juan Chamula. In Zinacantán they take you to a workshop for embroiderers and belt weavers, a very nice experience. In Chamula it was not so nice, they are very particular people and they take great care of the entrance to their temple, you cannot take photos inside the place and if they catch you they will fine you, follow the instructions of your guide in this place. The people there are not very nice.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rajasree_s
Apr 9, 2023
Visiting San Juan Chamula and Zincantan - We had a lovely time visiting Dan Juan Chamula and Zincantan near San Cristobal de la Casas. Our guide Annulfo was excellent and made a real effort to enlighten us on the history and cultural practices of the two villages. He also explained the lifestyle of the local people and as an extra took us on a tour in San Cristobal itself! Wonderful trip!
Review provided by Viator
675joans
Mar 12, 2020
Visit to San Juan Chamula and Zinacantán - On the morning we were scheduled to visit the Sumidero Canyon, Lucero, the administrator of Cepsu called to advise the tour had been cancelled due to bad weather. She quickly rearranged our day to visit 2 indigenous communities, and our family of 4 ended up having a private tour. Our tour guide, Nahum, was professional, courteous, knowledgeable and very pleasant to spend the day with. He gave us a lot f information about the two communities we visited. We had an extremely interesting day, despite the bad weather.
I highly recommend this tour company. They are professional and a pleasure to deal with. Our trip to Chiapas was made all the more enjoyable thanks to them.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jim_w
May 30, 2019
Tour review - 9.30 to 2.30 is hardly a full day tour, did not go to markets or central plaza or cathedral. The indigenous communities were good, but overall did not deliver what is in the tour description.
Review provided by Viator
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