Lagartero

Lagartero is an excavated archaeological site within the La Ciénega de Lagartero wetlands in La Trinitaria, Chiapas, practically on the border with Guatemala. The site is moving and emotionally captivating in part because visitors are transported back over the centuries to witness what human determination can do. 

The area is the called the Lagos de Colon. A series of twisting rivers and resultant islands, even today, offer a timeless view of humankind within the embrace of nature. The abundance of water and the characteristic lowland jungle vegetation allowed people here to survive by gathering fish and mollusks, and hunting deer and rabbits among other inhabitants of the jungle. Their main activity though, as in so much of Mesoamerica, was the cultivation of corn, although here, they grew cotton too. Cocoa was brought from the coasts and obsidian for blades and knives came from Central Mexico and Guatemala

The name used today comes from the Lagartero River which is inhabited by many lizards. But the people who built this small city between roughly 300 CE and 1200 CE spoke the Jacalteco variant of the Mayan languages. About 40,000 people in Guatemala speak the language, mostly in the Jacaltenango municipality in Huehuetenango Department in Guatemala. In Mexico, speakers of the language are concentrated here although some communities in Campeche also speak Jakalteko. 

People visit today especially for the Lagos de Colón eco-tourism site, and the variety of aquatic activities on offer. While Lagos de Montebello is probably a little more popular, the little town of Cristóbal Colón, where most of the lodging and dining options are concentrated, is some 55 kms south from the municipal seat at La Trinitaria. There are car services and combis operating between the two locations. In fact, La Trinitaria is only about 15 minutes outside of Comitán. And those who make the venture may want to ask local drivers about continued service to Cristóbal Colón. The voyage is guaranteed to delight all of your senses.