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City and municipality in Chiapas, Mexico
Photo: Samuel Miranda, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Tapachula de Córdova y Ordóñez or simply Tapachula is a city of 320,000 people (2010) in Chiapas. Tapachula is Mexico's main border city with Guatemala on the Pacific coast area although it is some kilometers away from the border.
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A small museum that has a collection of Mayan & Olmec artifacts from the region. This building houses a number of pieces from the various archeological sites of the region, especially Izapa and several coastal sites. One special piece is a skull covered in gold and incrusted with turquoise. Another is a stele called Number 25, because of the quality of its engravings.
The settlement at Izapa extended over 2 km, making it the largest site in Chiapas. The site reached its apogee between 850 BC and 100 BC; several archaeologists have theorized that Izapa may have been settled as early as 1500 BC, making it as old as the Olmec sites of San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán and La Venta.
Long-time Tapachula institution serving up thick grilled steaks and big baked potatoes. If you're not sure what to get, order the picaña.
Modern contemporary restaurant serving traditional Mexican cuisine.
Casual fun restaurant serving regional Mexican cuisine. Huge menu with a wide range of burgers, steaks, chicken, seafood, salads and house specialities.
Typical botanero serving cold beer and light Mexican food.
Sr. Tango is an Argentinian steak house that also has bland tasting pizzas and carries a real old-school mafia air to the place. Salads are pretty good and the air conditioning is top notch if you need to escape the heat.
Botanero serving beer and cocktails with snacks. Family friendly with soft drinks and kids area.
Traditional hotel with fancy public areas. Rooms are a bit dated. Off-street parking available.
Clean spacious rooms. Extra charge for AC.
Traditional downtown hotel with clean rooms with good air conditioning. Swimming pool available.
Upscale hotel, clean, comfortable, safe. On-site bar and restaurant.
Small boutique hotel with a beautiful garden courtyard restaurant. Rooms are comfortable, spacious and clean.
Modern hotel with spacious, clean rooms. Furnishings are basic and the room is functional rather than inviting. Next to a VIP restaurant (good breakfast choice).
Large hotel with clean spacious rooms. On-site garage parking. On-site swimming pool. On-site restaurant with extensive weekend buffet breakfast.
If it exists or can be imagined, it is for sale at the Mercado Escobar, Tapachula's oldest and largest traditional marketplace. Aisles of fresh produce and just-butchered meats have their sections as do electronics vendors, clothing vendors, candies, mezcals, and all the other necessities of life. The place is a gloriously chaotic jumble of humanity. Don't worry if you can't speak Spanish, most vendors understand Mayan too!
By car
Quetzaltenango, Guatemala is about 130 km to Tapachula and will take about 2 hours driving plus whatever time is needed at the border for immigration and customs formalities.
By bus
There are plenty of buses arrivining from Huixtla, Tuxtla Gutierrez, San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico City, Oaxaca, among others.
By train
A new daily intercity train from Salina Cruz is planned to launch in 2024.
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Tapachula · Regional · TAP
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