Chiapas is Mexico's southernmost state, a highland-and-jungle frontier on the Guatemalan border where colonial San Cristóbal de las Casas sits at 2,200 metres above sea level, the Maya city of Palenque rises out of rainforest, and the Grijalva River cuts the thousand-metre walls of the Sumidero Canyon. It is the most indigenous state in the country: Tzotzil, Tzeltal, Ch'ol, Tojolabal and Zoque communities keep their languages, markets and ceremonies as living practice rather than performance. Waterfalls at Agua Azul, Misol-Ha and El Chiflón, the turquoise lakes of Montebello, the coffee fincas of the Soconusco and the empty Pacific beaches at Puerto Arista round out a state that rewards slow, careful travel.
Best photo spots
Iconic and lesser-known locations worth shooting.
Palenque Temples in Dawn Mist
The signature Chiapas photograph is the Templo de las Inscripciones and the four-storey tower of El Palacio rising out of rainforest mist. The site opens at 08:00 with last entry at 16:00 and closes at 17:00, and the mist usually holds in the plaza until about 09:30 on humid mornings. Two separate tickets are collected: the CONANP national park gate on the access road charges about 47 MXN (approx USD 3) and the INAH ticket office at the CATVI visitor centre charges about 150 MXN (approx USD 9), so budget roughly 197 MXN (approx USD 12) per person, cash in pesos. Sunday entry to the INAH portion is free for Mexican nationals and permanent residents with identification. Tripods, monopods and any lighting rig count as professional equipment under INAH rules and require written authorisation obtained in advance through the INAH-01-001 procedure; drones are prohibited outright.
Best time: 08:00-09:30 for mist in the Grand Plaza; 15:30-16:00 for warm raking light on the Temple of the Cross group
Tip: Arrive at the 08:00 opening for the best chance of mist still holding in the plaza · Use a 24-70mm zoom for the plaza and palace elevations, and a 70-200mm to compress the temples against the forest wall · Apply for tripod authorisation in advance via the INAH-01-001 procedure; handheld shooting needs no permit · Carry cash in pesos, as both the CONANP and INAH gates are cash-only · Bring a rain cover and microfibre cloth for the humidity, and spare batteries since there is no charging point on site
Canon del Sumidero Rim Miradores
Five signed viewpoints are strung along the paved rim road north of Tuxtla Gutierrez: La Ceiba, La Coyota, El Roblar, Tepehuaje and Los Chiapa. La Coyota looks straight down the highest walls, which fall more than 1,000 m to the Grijalva; Tepehuaje frames the Arbol de Navidad mineral cascade on the far bank; and Los Chiapa combines the gorge with the sprawl of Tuxtla behind it. Park entry is about 115 MXN (approx USD 7) for Mexican nationals and residents and about 225 MXN (approx USD 13) for foreign visitors, collected at the gate on the way up. There is no public bus along the rim road, so a car or a Tuxtla taxi is required, and the drop-offs at each mirador are unfenced in places.
Best time: 07:00-09:00, before haze and cloud build over the gorge; the light is flat and contrasty by 11:00
Tip: Arrive by 07:00-09:00 before haze builds and the light turns flat · Use an ultra-wide lens for the full gorge at La Coyota and a 70-200mm or longer for the Arbol de Navidad from Tepehuaje · A polariser cuts atmospheric haze and improves colour saturation in the canyon walls · Stay well back from the unfenced edges when setting up a tripod · Bring a warm layer, as the rim is markedly cooler than Tuxtla Gutierrez below
Canon del Sumidero from the Water and the Arbol de Navidad
Open lanchas leave the Chiapa de Corzo pier through the day and run 35 km downstream between walls that rise over 1,000 m, turning back at the Chicoasen dam. The set-piece is the Arbol de Navidad, a moss-covered travertine cascade shaped like a fir tree that only flows properly in and just after the rainy season, and which cannot be reached by road. Boats also pass American crocodiles hauled out on the mud, spider monkeys in the canyon-wall figs and the Cueva de Colores. Fares run about 250-300 MXN (approx USD 15-18) per person for a two-hour round trip, life jackets are issued at the pier, and boats depart once they have filled, generally between 08:00 and 16:00. Seats on the right-hand side going downstream give the better angle on the Arbol de Navidad.
Best time: First departures from 08:00, when the water is glassy and the walls are still shaded; the Arbol de Navidad is best lit late morning
Tip: Book the right-hand side of the boat going downstream for the best angle on the Arbol de Navidad · Use a fast shutter speed, as the boat never fully stops for photographs · A 70-200mm suits crocodiles and canyon-wall detail; a polariser and wide lens cover the wall-to-wall shots · Take the first departure around 08:00 for glassy water and shaded canyon walls · Protect gear with a dry bag or rain cover against spray
Cascadas de Agua Azul Turquoise Terraces
A staircase of limestone terraces about 64 km from Palenque, where the Rio Xanil runs an intense turquoise over travertine shelves. A concrete walkway climbs beside the falls for roughly a kilometre past viewing platforms and food stalls. Access is community-run and layered: the ejido gates charge about 40 MXN (approx USD 2) at the first caseta and about 25 MXN (approx USD 1.50) at the second, so most visitors pay 65-80 MXN (approx USD 4-5) in total, cash only in pesos. Community road blockades appear intermittently on the Palenque-Ocosingo highway and on the 4 km access spur, and drivers are asked for a voluntary contribution of 20-30 MXN (approx USD 1-2) to pass; small coins and notes should be carried and the road should not be driven after dark. The water turns brown and loses its colour for days after heavy rain, so the site is at its best from January to May.
Best time: 07:30-09:30, before the tour buses from Palenque arrive and while the upper terraces are still in shade
Tip: A polariser is the single most useful filter here for cutting surface glare off the water · Use a neutral density filter for silky long-exposure shots of the cascades · Arrive 07:30-09:30 to beat the Palenque tour buses and catch shaded upper terraces · Carry small peso notes and coins for gate fees and any roadside contributions · A travel tripod suits the walkway platforms, though space is tight near the lower falls
Misol-Ha Behind-the-Falls Walkway
A single 35 m curtain of water drops into a circular pool 20 km south of Palenque, and a cut ledge lets walkers pass directly behind the fall into a dripping cave. The backlit shot from inside the ledge, with the water sheeting across the cave mouth, is the reason to come. The ejido opens the site daily from 08:00 to 17:00 and charges about 30 MXN (approx USD 2) for entry, with roughly 10 MXN (approx USD 0.60) extra for the walkway behind the fall; there is no card terminal and no ATM. Spray on the ledge is constant, so a cloth and a rain cover matter more than a tripod.
Best time: 08:00-10:00, when the sun has not yet reached the pool and contrast is manageable
Tip: Arrive 08:00-10:00, before direct sun hits the pool and contrast becomes harsh · Use an ultra-wide lens for the view from behind the curtain · A rain cover and two lens cloths matter more than a tripod given the constant spray on the ledge · Wear shoes with grip for the wet ledge surface · Carry cash, as there is no card terminal or ATM on site
El Chiflon and the Velo de Novia Cascade
The Rio San Vicente drops through a chain of falls on the Comitan side of the state, and the largest of them, the Velo de Novia, plunges about 120 m in a single veil that throws spray far enough to keep a permanent rainbow in the mid-morning sun. A paved riverside path with steps climbs from the ejido car park past Cascada Suspiro and Ala de Angel to the Velo de Novia viewing platform in about 45 minutes. The ejido opens the centre daily from 07:00 to 18:00 and charges roughly 60 MXN (approx USD 4) per person, cash only. The water is a hard mineral blue that photographs best under high cloud rather than direct sun.
Best time: 09:30-11:30, when the sun angle puts a rainbow into the Velo de Novia spray
Tip: Time the visit 09:30-11:30 for the rainbow in the Velo de Novia spray · A polariser helps control the rainbow and cuts glare on the blue water · A weather-sealed body or rain cover matters more than filters, given the heavy spray at the top platform · Allow about 45 minutes to walk the paved path with steps from the car park to the main viewing platform · Carry cash, as the ejido entry fee is cash only
Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzman Facade, San Cristobal de las Casas
The most photographed facade in Chiapas: a salmon-pink Baroque front worked into a mass of Solomonic columns, niches and the Habsburg double eagle, five blocks north of the cathedral in San Cristobal at 2,120 m. Entry to the church is free. The permanent artisan market of Tzotzil and Tzeltal weavers fills the atrium and the street in front from about 09:00 to 18:00, which supplies the foreground of most successful frames but also means the lower third of the facade is rarely clear. Traders here generally do not want to be photographed without being asked first, and buying something is the customary way of opening that conversation. The facade faces roughly west, so it takes direct light in the afternoon.
Best time: 16:30-18:00 for warm light directly on the facade; 07:00-08:00 for the facade without market stalls
Tip: Arrive before 08:00 for a facade view uncluttered by market stalls · Return 16:30-18:00 for warm direct light on the facade · A tilt-shift or 24mm wide lens keeps the vertical lines straight; a 70-200mm isolates carved detail higher up · Ask before photographing market traders, and buying something is the customary opener · A polariser helps hold the sky tone behind the towers
Iglesia de Guadalupe Hill Viewpoint, San Cristobal de las Casas
A flight of just under eighty steps climbs from the eastern end of the Real de Guadalupe pedestrian street to a yellow-and-white church on a low hill, and the terrace in front of it gives the clean elevated view over the tiled roofs of San Cristobal to the pine ridges behind. Access is free and the terrace is open all day; the climb takes about ten minutes and is noticeably hard work at 2,120 m for anyone newly arrived from the lowlands. The view faces roughly west, which makes this the standard sunset position in the city. The neighbourhood is quiet after dark and most photographers walk back down before the light has fully gone.
Best time: 17:00-18:30 for sunset over the rooftops, and the twenty minutes of blue hour that follow
Tip: Time the visit 17:00-18:30 for sunset and the blue hour that follows · A 35-85mm lens suits the rooftop compression from the terrace · A graduated neutral density filter or bracketed frames help balance the bright sky against the darker rooftops · Bring a warm layer, as San Cristobal drops close to 5C after sunset in winter · Carry a head torch for the unlit steps on the way back down
San Juan Chamula: Where Photography Is Prohibited
Chamula sits at 2,270 m about 10 km from San Cristobal and is the most important Tzotzil religious centre in the highlands. Photography and video inside the Templo de San Juan Bautista are strictly prohibited, and photographing people anywhere in the village without their explicit permission is equally unacceptable; the prohibition rests on the community's belief that an image takes something from the person, and it is enforced by the village authorities rather than by request. Visitors have been fined heavily for breaking it, with reported penalties ranging from about 3,900 MXN (approx USD 229) to 4,200 MXN (approx USD 247), and cameras have been confiscated. A ticket of about 30 MXN (approx USD 2) is bought at the small office beside the church door and states the prohibition in writing. What can be photographed, from a respectful distance and without including faces, is the whitewashed exterior of the church with its painted turquoise and green arch, the market awnings on the plaza and the hillside cemetery with its coloured crosses on the way in. Colectivo vans to Chamula leave from Calle Honduras in San Cristobal for about 25 MXN (approx USD 1.50).
Best time: 09:00-12:00 on Sunday, the main market day, for the plaza exterior; the church interior is never photographable at any hour
Tip: Never photograph inside the church under any circumstance; this is strictly enforced with heavy fines · Avoid photographing individuals without their explicit permission, even outdoors · Do not bring a tripod into the plaza, as it draws immediate objection · Visit Sunday morning, 09:00-12:00, for the liveliest market scene at the church exterior · Keep the camera in a bag rather than around the neck when entering the church grounds
Zinacantan Textiles and Flower Greenhouses
Zinacantan trades in flowers and in the densest embroidery in Chiapas, purple and magenta bougainvillea motifs worked onto black wool. Families open their houses as weaving workshops where backstrap looms, a wood fire, a comal of blue-corn tortillas and stacks of finished cloth make an unusually generous interior subject; there is no fixed charge and the expected exchange is buying a piece or leaving a contribution of about 50-100 MXN (approx USD 3-6). Permission to photograph the weavers is normally given inside these houses if asked, but photography inside the village church of San Lorenzo is prohibited exactly as at Chamula. The plastic-roofed flower greenhouses that cover the valley floor are a striking wide-angle subject from the road above the village. Colectivos leave San Cristobal from Calle Honduras for about 20 MXN (approx USD 1).
Best time: 10:00-13:00, when the weaving houses are working and light falls through the open doorway onto the loom
Tip: Ask permission before photographing inside a weaving house; buying a piece or leaving 50-100 MXN (approx USD 3-6) is the customary exchange · Visit 10:00-13:00 when the looms are actively worked and doorway light is strongest · Use a fast 35mm or 50mm prime for the dim, smoky interiors rather than a tripod · Do not photograph inside the village church of San Lorenzo · Shoot the greenhouse valley with a wide-angle lens from the approach road above the village
Lagos de Montebello Colour Lakes
Fifty-nine lakes sit at about 1,500 m in pine, oak and liquidambar forest, and dissolved minerals and depth give each one a different colour, from jade through emerald to near-black. The classic frame is the Mirador Cinco Lagos, where five separate bodies of water in five distinct shades appear in a single view; Laguna Pojoj, with its floating island, and Laguna Bosque Azul are the other reliable positions. CONANP charges about 125 MXN (approx USD 7) for foreign visitors and about 65 MXN (approx USD 4) for Mexican nationals and residents, with a further ejido access fee of about 40 MXN (approx USD 2) for the individual lakes including Tziscao, Cinco Lagos, Pojoj and Internacional. Children under twelve enter free. The colours read strongest from above and under overhead light rather than at golden hour.
Best time: 10:00-14:00, when high sun penetrates the water and separates the colours; mist over the lakes forms before 08:00
Tip: Shoot 10:00-14:00, when high sun penetrates the water and separates the colours · A polariser is essential to see through the surface reflection into the true colour · Use a wide lens for the Cinco Lagos panorama and a 70-200mm for the forested far shores · Budget for both the CONANP park fee and separate ejido fees at individual lakes · Bring a warm layer and rain shell, as Montebello is cool and wet at altitude
Parque de la Marimba Evenings, Tuxtla Gutierrez
Every evening the kiosk in this small central park fills with a marimba band and the paved apron in front of it fills with couples dancing danzon and cumbia, most of them well over sixty and dressed for it. Live performances currently run Wednesday to Sunday from about 18:00 to 21:00 under the Instituto Tuxtleco de Arte y Cultura, and the surrounding cafes stay open later. Entry is free, the park is well lit, and this is one of the few places in Chiapas where photographing people in public is entirely unremarkable, though a nod or a raised camera before shooting is still the courteous approach. The light is warm tungsten from the kiosk and cool blue overhead for the first half hour after sunset.
Best time: 18:00-19:30, when the band starts and blue hour still holds colour in the sky behind the kiosk
Tip: Arrive by 18:00 to secure a position before the crowd builds along the dancing area · Use a fast 35mm or 50mm prime at f/1.8 or wider for the low kiosk light · Try a slow shutter around 1/15s for deliberate motion blur on the dancers · Skip flash entirely, as it breaks the atmosphere and draws objection · A nod or raised camera before shooting is the courteous approach with individual dancers
La Pila Mudejar Fountain, Chiapa de Corzo
Built in 1562 and attributed to the Andalusian friar Rodrigo de Leon, La Pila is a brick octagon of pointed arches carrying a Renaissance-inspired dome, and it is the only Mudejar structure in Chiapas. It stands alone in the middle of the town's main plaza, 15 km from Tuxtla, so it can be circled and shot from every angle without obstruction, and the surrounding arcades and ceiba trees frame it cleanly. Access is free and unrestricted at any hour, and the plaza is floodlit after dark. In January the Fiesta Grande fills the same square with the masked, blond-wigged Parachico dancers, a UNESCO-listed tradition and the single strongest street-photography event in the state.
Best time: 07:00-08:30 for empty plaza and side light on the brickwork; 19:00-20:00 for the floodlit dome against a blue sky
Tip: Visit 07:00-08:30 for an empty plaza and side light on the brickwork · Return 19:00-20:00 for the floodlit dome against a blue sky · Use a 16-35mm wide lens for the arch interior and dome from below, and a 24-70mm for the full structure · Bring a tripod for the floodlit evening frames · Attend 8-23 January with a fast prime and high-ISO body for the Parachico processions
Bonampak Murals in the Lacandon Jungle
Three small rooms inside Structure 1 hold the most complete Maya wall paintings that survive anywhere, a full-colour sequence of a battle, an arraignment of prisoners and a court celebration. Photography inside the rooms is permitted without flash and without a tripod, both of which are prohibited to protect the pigment; only a few people are admitted at a time and each group has a limited window in the chamber, so exposure settings should be decided before entering. The site opens 08:00 to 17:00 and INAH charges about 100 MXN (approx USD 6). The final 12 km from the San Javier junction is Lacandon community land and private vehicles are not allowed through: transfer is by community van from the San Javier crossroads for about 120 MXN (approx USD 7) per person round trip, run by the Lacandon community of Lacanja Chansayab.
Best time: 08:00-09:30, before groups build up and while the chamber doorways still take low, indirect light
Tip: Use a fast prime of f/1.4 to f/1.8, since flash and tripods are banned in the mural rooms · Decide exposure and composition before entering, as each group's time in the chamber is limited · Arrive 08:00-09:30 before groups build up · Bring silica gel and a cloth for the jungle humidity · Carry cash in pesos for the INAH ticket and the community van transfer
Yaxchilan on the Usumacinta River
Yaxchilan occupies a horseshoe bend of the Usumacinta and is reachable only by river. Lanchas run about 40 minutes downstream from the Frontera Corozal pier, where the Chol community cooperative charges roughly 1,500-2,000 MXN (approx USD 88-118) for a boat of up to eight with waiting time, plus a village access fee of about 40 MXN (approx USD 2); INAH charges about 100 MXN (approx USD 6) at the site. The subjects are the labyrinth building at the entrance, the carved lintels of Structures 20, 21 and 33, and Structure 33 itself on its terrace above the river, with howler monkeys roaring in the canopy from first light. Photography with handheld equipment is unrestricted; tripods require prior INAH authorisation and drones are prohibited.
Best time: 08:30-10:30, on the first boats, when mist still lies on the Usumacinta and the labyrinth interior is workable
Tip: Take the first available boat, around 08:30-10:30, for mist on the river and manageable labyrinth light · Use a fast prime for the dark labyrinth passages and lintel undersides · A 70-200mm covers howler monkeys and the far Guatemalan bank · Bring a head torch for the labyrinth corridors · Share a boat with other visitors to reduce the per-person fare
By subject
Match your shooting interest to Chiapas's strengths.
Sunrise photography
Mist in the Grand Plaza at Palenque from the 08:00 opening, the Canon del Sumidero rim miradores between 07:00 and 09:00 before haze builds, the upper terraces of Agua Azul before the Palenque buses arrive, and mist lying on the Montebello lakes before 08:00
Sunset photography
The terrace of the Iglesia de Guadalupe over the San Cristobal rooftops, the Mirador Los Chiapa with Tuxtla behind the gorge, the plaza at Chiapa de Corzo as La Pila is floodlit, and the Sierra Madre ridges seen from the Comitan road
Architecture photography
The Baroque facade of Santo Domingo in San Cristobal, the Mudejar dome of La Pila at Chiapa de Corzo, the Templo de las Inscripciones and El Palacio at Palenque, the carved lintels of Yaxchilan, and the whitewashed exterior of the church at San Juan Chamula
Street photography
Parque de la Marimba in Tuxtla from 18:00 Wednesday to Sunday, the artisan market in the atrium of Santo Domingo, the Sunday market on the Chamula plaza photographed without faces, the Andador Guadalupano in San Cristobal, and the Parachico processions at Chiapa de Corzo in January
Nature photography
Agua Azul and Misol-Ha waterfalls, the Velo de Novia at El Chiflon, the colour lakes of Montebello, crocodiles and spider monkeys from the Sumidero boats, and cloud forest and quetzals in the Sierra Madre
Night photography
La Pila floodlit on the Chiapa de Corzo plaza, blue hour over San Cristobal from the Cerro de Guadalupe, the marimba kiosk in Tuxtla under tungsten light, and dark skies over the Lacandon jungle around Lacanja Chansayab, where there is almost no light pollution
Items photography
Best times to shoot
Light, weather, and seasonal considerations.
- Sunrise
- About 06:39 in late December and 05:41 in late June at Tuxtla Gutierrez, two minutes earlier in San Cristobal. Chiapas keeps central time while sitting well west in the zone, so first light comes late and the golden window is generous, lasting close to 40 minutes
- Midday
- 11:00-14:00 is the only correct window for the colour of the Montebello lakes and for the pools at Agua Azul, and the worst possible time for the open plazas at Palenque and the exposed rim miradores of the Sumidero
- Sunset
- About 17:41 in late December and 18:46 in late June, best worked from the Cerro de Guadalupe in San Cristobal, the Mirador Los Chiapa above the Sumidero, or the plaza at Chiapa de Corzo
- Blue Hour
- Roughly 20-30 minutes after sunset, when floodlights on La Pila, Santo Domingo and the Tuxtla marimba kiosk come into balance with the remaining sky
Photography tips
Make your shots stand out.
Photography and video inside the Templo de San Juan Bautista at San Juan Chamula are strictly prohibited, and photographing people anywhere in that village without explicit permission is equally prohibited; reported fines range from about 3,900 to 4,200 MXN (approx USD 229-247) and cameras have been confiscated, so the camera should be in the bag before the church door
The same prohibition on interior photography applies inside the church of San Lorenzo at Zinacantan and in several other highland Tzotzil and Tzeltal churches; where no sign exists, the safe assumption is that photography is not permitted
Drones are prohibited over every INAH archaeological zone in Chiapas, including Palenque, Bonampak, Yaxchilan and Tonina, and over the federal protected areas; flying at these sites risks confiscation of the aircraft and an administrative penalty
INAH classes tripods, monopods, rails, reflectors and lighting as professional equipment, so a tripod at Palenque or Yaxchilan requires authorisation applied for in advance through the INAH-01-001 procedure at tramites.inah.gob.mx; handheld shooting for personal use needs no permit
Flash is not permitted in the mural rooms at Bonampak, where the pigment is fragile, so a fast prime and a high-ISO body do the work that a speedlight cannot
Carry small peso notes and coins throughout: Agua Azul, Misol-Ha, El Chiflon, Chamula, Montebello and the Lacandon community gates are all cash only, and the road to Agua Azul carries intermittent community blockades where a contribution of 20-30 MXN (approx USD 1-2) is asked to pass
Agua Azul loses its turquoise for several days after heavy rain and runs brown through much of the September to November period; anyone travelling specifically for that colour should aim for January to May and check conditions in Palenque the day before
Humidity is the main technical hazard in the lowlands: let lenses acclimatise for ten minutes when moving from an air-conditioned vehicle into the jungle at Palenque, Bonampak or Lacanja, and keep silica gel in the bag
The highlands are cold and the lowlands are not; San Cristobal at 2,120 m falls close to 5C on winter nights while Palenque holds above 20C, and condensation forms on glass carried between the two in a single day
A polariser is close to essential across the state, cutting surface glare on the Montebello lakes, the Agua Azul terraces and the Sumidero river, and deepening the sky over the rim miradores
Photographing indigenous people in the highland markets requires asking first, in Spanish, and accepting a refusal without argument; buying from a stall is the customary way to open the conversation, and a small payment of 20-50 MXN (approx USD 1-3) is often expected when permission is given
The Carretera Fronteriza del Sur to Bonampak, Yaxchilan and Lacanja should be driven only in daylight, and military and community checkpoints along it will ask for identification; cameras should be lowered when passing checkpoints