Comitán

Comitán de Domínguez is a city famous well in excess of its 115,000 residents. The birthplace of Rosario Castellanos and Belisario Domínguez, Comitán has long been an intellectual heavyweight in Mexico as well as a prominent indigenous town. Some 5,000 residents of the surrounding municipality speak Tojolabal, Tseltal, or Tsotsil or one of seven other indigenous languages.

The town was founded by the Dominicans in the 16th century. The surviving architecture from the colonial period is still a major part of what draws people to the region. Flowery patios are surrounded by portico-ed private houses, and public buildings. Cobblestone streets just add to the charm when the sun finally sets. 

Comitán is also the center of a strong agricultural community. They bring goods from the surrounding country to the big Centro de Abastos public market. Here some of the most famous food in Chiapas is regularly prepared. Atol de granillo, and beef sausage with pickles are particularly celebrated. But nearly everything in and around the market is prepared for local tastes and preferences. And much of that spirit spreads up into the town center. 

The Santo Domingo Temple, cultural center and central plaza and the San José Temple and the Templo de San Caralampio and La Pila square make up the very core of the city center. There are a good number of lodging and accommodations here. But visitors are just as likely to set off from here for the famous Lagunas de Montebello National Park. The park is about a one hour drive, south and east toward the Guatemala border. The Tenam Puente archaeological site is a lot closer, about a half hour directly south from the town center.

Most international visitors will arrive to Comitán from Tuxtla Gutierrez or San Cristobal de Las Casas. ADO and Ómnibus Cristóbal Colón (OCC) make the trip from the capital in about three and a half hours. Driving, carefully, one can make the same trip in about two. From San Cristobal, the trip is between 90 minutes and about two hours.