San Juan Chamula & Zinacantán Day Trip from San Cristóbal

4.5
(24 Reviews)

About this activity

Smartphone tickets accepted
Duration: 6 hours
This activity has WONDERFUL reviews
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$28 $26
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  • Your booking is confirmed immediately

Experience Highlights

Experience a unique cultural immersion with this 6-hour excursion from San Cristobal de las Casas to the indigenous communities of San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan. The pick-up service from your hotel (name included in the next step of the booking process) ensures a punctual and comfortable start. The tour is offered in Spanish with guides who will accompany you all day.

In San Juan Chamula you will see the peculiar local church and its mysticism without pews or photographs, as well as the traditional pantheon. Later, in Zinacantán, you will discover the church of San Lorenzo, visit a family to learn how to weave on a backstrap loom and taste their ancestral cuisine. The return trip will take you back to the centre of San Cristobal.

  • Book your tour and make sure you are picked up from your hotel.
  • 6 h tour to explore two Mayan communities.
  • Delve into the living traditions of San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan.

What’s included

  • Pick up and return to your hotel in San Cristóbal de las Casas
  • Transport in air-conditioned vehicle
  • Guide in English
  • Food and beverages during the journey

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Step by Step

Your day begins with a pick-up from your hotel... After a short drive through the Chiapas highlands, you will arrive in San Juan Chamula, a community where pre-Hispanic beliefs coexist with Catholic rites. Discover its white church without pews, lit by candles and dotted with unique rituals that don't allow cameras inside, and stroll through its colourful cemetery, where the tombs lack traditional headstones.

The route continues to Zinacantán, famous for its textile production. Visit the Church of San Lorenzo, a colonial temple remodelled in the early 20th century, and enter the workshop of a local family. There you will learn the art of backstrap loom weaving, admire their embroidery and enjoy a home-made snack prepared with regional ingredients.

The atmosphere of both villages is a living reflection of the Tzotzil worldview, and your guide will provide historical and ethnographic context throughout the tour. At the end of the experience, you will return to San Cristobal de las Casas to conclude the excursion.

Reviews

4.5
· 24 Reviews
  • C
    C.
    5
    (0 Reviews)
    Exciting. Starting from San Cristobal and passing through these villages was a perfect combination of nature and culture.
  • P
    P.
    4
    (0 Reviews)
    Everything is fine. If I had to choose only one nuance, I would say that the road to get there is very winding, so those who get dizzy should take precautions.
  • B
    B.
    4
    (0 Reviews)
    Very good tour. I would have liked a brochure in Spanish about the villages, but the guide made up for it.
  • R
    R.
    4
    (0 Reviews)
    Recommended for those who enjoy history and tradition. If you prefer something lighter, it might be too much.
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