Chiapas, officially theFree and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the 31 states that, with theFederal District, make up the32 federal entitiesofMexico. It is divided into122 municipalitiesand its capital city isTuxtla Gutiérrez. Located inSouthwestern Mexico,Chiapas has a coastline along thePacific Oceanto the south.
With a humid, tropical climate,Chiapas is home to the ancientMayanruins ofPalenque,Yaxchilán,Bonampak, andChinkultic. It is also home to one of the largest indigenous populations in the country with twelve federally recognized ethnicities. Much of the state’s history is centered on the subjugation of these peoples with occasional rebellions. The last of these rebellions was the1994 Zapatista uprising, which succeeded in obtaining new rights for indigenous people.
