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Chiapas Facts

Chiapas Facts
Chiapas is the southernmost of Mexico's thirty-states, bordering on the nation of Guatemala. Chiapas is one of the poorest Mexican states and suffers from a fundamental lack of infrastructure in terms of modern roads, sanitation, and drinking water. The state has was also the battleground between right-wing paramilitary groups and the left-wing Zapatista guerrillas during the 1990s. Despite these many problems, Chipas officials have attempted to entice Mexican and foreign tourists in recent years to visit Maya sites in the state as well as the Lacandon Jungle/rain forest. Chiapas has a wet, humid climate with plenty of rainfall, especially from May through October.
Interesting Chiapas Facts:
The capital and largest city in Chiapas is Tuxtla Gutierezz. The metropolitan area of the city is nearly 800,000 people.
Before the Spanish arrived in the sixteenth century, the region around Chiapas played an important role in the development of Mayan culture. The cities of Palenque and Bonampak were major religious and political centers during the Classic Period (AD 300-800).
Chiapas has one of the largest populations of indigenous peoples of any Mexican state. More than 36% of Chiapas is listed as indigenous, making it the sixth state with the highest per capita indigenous population.
Chiapas has an area of 28,306 square miles, placing it tenth among the Mexican states in size and population of more than five million people, putting it in seventh place.
Chiapas has three mountain chains: Sierra Madre de Chiapas, Eastern Mountains, and Northern Mountains. The highest point in Chiapas in 13,390 feet.
Most people in Chiapas work in the agricultural sector and much of that is subsistence farming. Bananas, coffee, cacao, and peanuts are some of the most widely grown crops in the state.
Despite being located on the extreme south of Mexico, Chiapas has been the scene of several rebellions and battles, including heavy fighting during the Mexican Revolution.
The Lacandon Jungle is located in northeastern Chiapas, with parts of it extending into neighboring Belize and Guatemala. Because the region offers a combination of pristine rainforests and Mesoamerican archaeological sites, several outfitters now offer excursions to tourists that leave Tuxtla Gutierezz.
Chiapas is quite diverse in terms of flora and fauna. More than 50,000 animal species live in the state, with a good share of them dwelling in the hot lowland region.
Some of the larger animals one may see in Chiapas include jaguars, deer, boars, and crocodiles.
Chiapas is home to several rivers as well as a few fresh water lakes, lagoons, and reservoirs. The state is estimated to have about 35% of Mexico's freshwater.
Mexico is a major oil producing nation and Chiapas has many rich oil reserves and wells. Chiapas is also a major producer of natural gas, supplying the country with about 25% of the natural gas it uses every year.
Chiapas became the nineteenth Mexican state on September 14, 1824.


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