Comitán de Domínguez

Understand

It is a thriving municipality characterized by its variety of architectural styles ranging from Baroque to Neoclassical and Neo-Gothic. Its main cultural influences are derived from the Conquest, but it also has a rich history and Mayan traditions, such as the remains of Tenam Puente and Junchavín. Comitán has been designated a Pueblo Magico by the Mexican government, in recognition of its historical and cultural value as a tourist destination.

Climate The climate is cool most of the year, and can get quite chilly from October to March. Afternoons are very warm with fairly high humidity almost throughout the year, whilst mornings are cool in the dry season and mild during the rainy season. The dry season gradually warms up between March and May, before the rainy season begins during May and continues with higher humidity until October, following which the coolest and most pleasant weather of the year prevails.

Getting there

Colectivo from San Cristóbal de las Casas (2 hours) or Tuxtla Gutierrez (3 hours). From Tapachula, first class buses (M$270) go from the OCC terminal in Tapachula to Comitán. You can also take an urban (45 min, M$19) from the terminal de combis to Huixtla. Upon arrival to Huixtla, there are two small terminals on the right. There you can catch a colectivo or urban to Motozintla (90 min, M$40.) From there take another colectivo or go first class with Cristobal Colón (from the OCC terminal) or La Angostura (4 hr, M$130, leaving from the street corner two blocks west from the OCC terminal; tickets can be bought half a block north from there). 1 OCC Terminal (Cristobal Colon), MEX-190. Clean bus terminal. (updated Dec 2023)

See

Comitán is a pleasant somewhat colonial style city that can be a nice alternative to San Cristóbal de las Casas. It has a large section of the city in colonial style, several nice plazas with beautiful churches.

1 Archaeological Museum of Comitán (Museo Arqueológico de Comitán), 1st. Calle Sur Oriente s / n Barrio Centro. Tu-Sa 09:00-18:00. It houses a collection on pre-Hispanic culture in Los Altos de Chiapas, the heyday of Mayan culture, city-state trade routes, hunter-gatherer groups, archaeological heyday areas. It also has temporary exhibitions. (updated Dec 2023) 2 Casa Museo Doctor Belisario Domínguez, Av. Central Sur Dr. B. Dominguez, Centro. M-F 10:00-18:45, Sa Su 10:00-13:45. Historical house museum that includes a 19th-century pharmacy. M$20. 3 Museo de Arte Hermila Dominguez. M-F 09:00-18:00, Sa Su 09:00-14:00. Contemporary art museum featuring a permanent collection of works by Rufino Tamayo, Francisco Toledo, José Luis Cuevas, Gunther Gerszo, José Guadalupe Posada and more. Also temporary exhibits and exhibits of local subjects and artists.

It is a good launching point for a number of sites in Chiapas:

Lagunas de Montebello El Chiflón which is a series of waterfalls (this costs a few pesos to enter) Tenam Puente, an archeological Mayan place

Do

The most important of the municipality are:

San Sebastián (January 20) the Virgen de la Candelaria (February 2) San Caralampio (February 11 to 20) — it generates great fervor and devotion among the inhabitants; legend has it that thanks to his intervention, the martyr Caralampio saved the town of Comitán de Domínguez from the ravages of a smallpox and cholera epidemic that occurred in the mid-19th century. Santo Domingo and the Expoferia (August 4) the Virgen del Rosario (October 7) the celebration of San José (March 19) San Judas Tadeo (October 28) Virgin of Guadalupe (December 12) — a great pilgrimage is celebrated year after year in the Guadalupe neighborhood that is the largest in Central America because many pilgrims travel from many cities in the state, the country and the main cities of Central America. It is accompanied by a fair and celebrations.

Buy

1 Mercado Primero de Mayo, Central Ote. 14, Centro. Daily 07:00 - 17:00. The town's main marketplace is the place to buy farm-fresh produce, dairy, meat and a bewildering array of homemade regional dishes at affordable prices. (updated Dec 2023) Central de Abasto 28 de Agosto, 11A. Calle Sur Pte 258, La Pileta, 30029 Comitán de Domínguez, Chis (most colectivos pass by here). 6AM-6PM. You can find the hustle and bustle of authentic life in Comitan through its main market. You can observe the rich and colorful variety of fresh fruit, vegetables, different types of cheeses and meats. You will also see people from nearby municipals come to buy and trade here so it is not surprising to see different indigenous people and hear different languages spoken. (updated Jan 2024)

Eat

The typical dishes of the municipality are: pieshete sandwiches, chicharrón and pellizcadas (seat toast), chilevinagre, picles, roasted bone, butifarras (a kind of boiled regional chorizo), without leaving aside the chorizo ​​and longaniza (different from others localities), compound bread, tzisim, rotten pot, chalupas, chanfaina, cooked, tongue in pebre, chinculuaj (tortilla made with refried bean filling and chile de arbol), patzitos de manjar (sweet tamales filled with pudding based on starch corn and cinnamon), pitaúl, banana leaf tamales, patzitos de momón (tamales made from holy leaf, known in Chiapas as momón plant), patzitos de chipilín (chipilín is a plant), ball tamale, pork ribs in green sauce, cooked baked. Some of the typical sweets that can be found in different parts of the municipality are: the chimbo, the Africans, the peanut sweet, the coyol sweet, the mueganos, the marshmallow, the breaker, the trompadas, the salvadillo with temperante (it is prepared condensing boiled sugar with cinnamon, cloves and red vegetable color). Breads: Marquesote, Salvadillo.

Budget All these are in the city center:

1 Cenaduría Lupita "El Foquito", Tercera Calle Nte. Ote. 1. (updated Sep 2022) 2 Taqueria los Compitas, Central Nte. 6. (updated Sep 2022) 3 Restaurante Cancún, Av. Primera Pte. Nte. 16-1av. (updated Sep 2022)

Mid-range 4 Restaurante Regional "Doña Chelo", 4a. Pte. Sur. (updated Sep 2022) 5 Baja BBQ Pit Comitán, Boulevard Norte 35. (updated Sep 2022) 6 Mercado San José, San José. (updated Sep 2022)

Splurge 7 Pizzeria "Due Torri", Central Nte. No. 30. (updated Sep 2022)

Drink & nightlife

The comiteco (a brandy that used to be made from agave), mistela (a fruit liqueur), jocoatol, atole de granillo, temperante, pozol de peanut.

Sleep

1 Posada Las Flores, 1a av pte nte 17 (One block west then north of parque central), ☏ +52 963 632 33 34. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. A quiet hotel a few minutes from the central park. Rooms surround a courtyard. Hot water and clean rooms named after flowers. Singles, double and triples available with or without private bathrooms at varying prices. Single M$100, double M$130 (w/o bath). (updated Dec 2023) 2 Casa Caelum, 4ta Avenida Poniente 1505, ☏ +52 963 632 2883. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Nice, clean, comfortable room with TV and air conditioning. No smoking facility. Private parking available. On-site restaurant. M$1700. (updated