Tuxtla Gutiérrez
Encyclopedia
Tuxtla Gutiérrez (ˈtustla ɣuˈtjeres) is the capital and largest city of the Mexican
state of Chiapas
. It is considered to be the state’s most modern city, with most of its public buildings dating from the 20th century. One exception to this is the San Marcos Cathedral which began as a Dominican
parish church built in 1560 for Zoque
natives. Prior to this, there had been no significant settlement on the site. Unlike many other areas of Chiapas, Tuxtla is not a tourist attraction, but it is a transportation hub for tourists coming into the state, with a major airport and first class bus station. The city is business oriented with government providing a significant portion of the employment.
and open air tianguis
.
In 2011, the city was the first in Mexico to be certified as a “safe city” by the federal government and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm
due to its very low crime rate, crime prevention programs and other factors. According to the Financial Times
and FDi magazine
, Tuxtla is one of a number of cities worldwide considered to be “cities of the future.” It was evaluated based on its economic potential, human resources, cost-benefit ratio, quality of life, infrastructure and business environment.
The city is centered on a large square called the Plaza Cívica, which is surrounded by government buildings such as the municipal and state government offices (called “palaces”) . On one side of this plaza is the city’s most important landmark, the San Marcos Cathedral, named after the patron saint of the city, Mark the Evangelist
. The church was founded in the second half of the 16th century, as a Dominican
parish and has had significant changes to the structure since it was built. Its apse
is the only one conserved in Chiapas from the colonial era, on which remnants of frescos can be seen. The current interior is Neoclassical. It has a single nave with a Latin cross layout with two side chapels. Its current facade and tower is modeled somewhat along colonial lines, with Doric columns. The structure’s current appearance, mostly in plain white, is a result of its last remodeling which was done in the 1980s. The best known feature of this church is the forty eight bells that ring out each hour, accompanied by a “parade” of statues of the Apostles that appear on the bell tower.
The city has a number of notable parks and other green spaces. Madero Park is located on 5a Norte Avenue where is crosses Calzada de Sumidero about six blocks from the Plaza Cívica. It is a green area which is cut by a street called Paseo de los Hombres Ilustres. Along this corridor, there are various museums and cultural centers which include the Dr. Faustino Miranda Botanical Garden, which occupies four hectares along the Sabinal River
. Across from the garden is the botanical museum which has a large exhibition of the various wood trees of the state. There is also a natural history museum with a number of preserved species of animals and plants as well as artifacts and maps of the historical indigenous peoples of the state. Parque Jardín de la Marimba (Marimba Garden Park) is located is eight blocks from the Plaza Civica on Central Poniente and 8a Poniente Norte and named after the most characteristic musical instrument of the state
. The park was established in 1993 to be a meeting place for families with, numerous trees, colonial style benches, lighting at night and a central kiosk. Here, marimba bands play, which often attracts older couples who come to dance. It also hosts larger musical and other events, usually related to the marimba.
On the edge of the city is the El Zapotal Ecological Reserve, best known as the home of the Zoológico Miguel Alvarez del Toro Zoo
, often simply referred to as the ZooMAT. The zoo covers 100 hectares and was founded by Miguel Alvarez del Toro
in 1942. He was also the director for over fifty years. ZooMAT is considered to be one of the best zoos of its kind in Latin America. It exhibits, studies, protects and preserves the native species of Chiapas, which have suffered severe stress due to human activities. The zoo has programs for research, environmental education and wildlife conservation. The zoo is especially known for its work in preserving the quetzal, being the first to breed the bird in captivity in the 1970s. The design of the zoo respects the topography of the zone and only exhibits regional wildlife. It contains 1,400 animals from 220 species including jaguar
s, tapir
s, macaw
s, spider monkey
s, howler monkey
s and quetzal
s. Over 150 of the species freely roam in natural enclosures and in some areas, animals such as deer
, iguana
s, small reptiles and birds come very close to the areas where humans pass. Sixty of the species exhibited here are in danger of extinction, including the jaguar, the ocelot
, the macaw, the quetzal and howler monkey.
The largest museum in the city is the Museo Regional de Antropología e Historia (Regional Museum of Anthropology and History)
, which one of the most important of its kind in Mexico. The building was constructed in modern style between 1979 and 1982, designed by architect Juan Miramontes Nájera. This design received first prize at the Third Biennial Architecture Contest in Bulgaria
in 1985. Its permanent collection covers the history of the state and is divided into two halls: one for archeology and the other for history starting from the Spanish conquest . Next to it, there is the Museo de Palenontología “Eliseo Palacios Aguilera” which was inaugurated in 2002 and is the only museum of its type in the state. It contains exhibits of over 200 fossil
s, all from Chiapas, with range in age from 300 million to 10,000 years old. The main hall is centered on a reconstruction of a Megatherium
. There is also a display dedicated to the amber of the state with pieces containing insects and spiders.
The Chiapas Museum of Science and Technology is an interactive museum for children and adults demonstrating advances in modern times in three halls: Earth and Universe, Life and Humans, and Communications and Tools.
The Mercado de los Ancianos is a large traditional market southeast of the center of town near the zoo. It offers fresh flowers, meat, seafood, clothes, household goods and more. It has an outdoor café under a big red tent, and serves its dishes prepared from the items available in the market. These include shrimp dishes, chicken, fried whole fish, carne asada
(grilled beef) and tacos. The Instituto de las Artesanias y Productos de Chiapas (Institute of Handcrafts and Products of Chiapas), also called the Casa de Artesanias, is a large purple building on the main boulevard of town, run by the government to promote the state’s traditional products. These include the best of Chiapas handcrafts including textiles, clothing, toys, ceramics and wood sculptures as well as genuine amber
jewelry. It also contains an Ethnographic Museum which shows scenes representing the lifestyles of the various indigenous groups of Chiapas with dioramas of rural villages and how crafts are made. There are also mannequins displaying indigenous dress. It also sells coffee and regional candies from the state.
The Casa de la Cultura of the city is located at Avenida 1a Ponente Norte. Two other important churches are the Santo Domingo Parish and the Santo Niño Temple.
As a municipality, the city is the local government authority for eighty three other communities which cover a territory of 412.40km2. The three urban communities of the municipality are Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Copoya and El Jobo. However, all of the rural communities have populations of less than 600 and most have less than 200. Important rural communities include Emiliano Zapata (Agua Fría), La Libertad, Tierra Colorada, Lacandón, San Juan and San Vicente El Alto. It borders the municipalities of San Fernando
, Osumacinta
, Chiapa de Corzo
, Suchiapa
, Ocozocoautla and Berriozábal
.
, State of Mexico and Mexico City
.
The population growth of the municipality has exceeded that of the state for the last five decades. From 1990 to 2000, the municipality has a growth rate of 3.95% almost double the state average. However, the greatest rate of growth was between 1970 and 1980 when it was 8.6%. This population growth has led to high demands for lands, housing, infrastructure and services, with many not able to keep up, especially in low income areas, which is about 40% of the city. There are an estimated 15,000 cases of illegally tapping into the city’s water distribution system, with an estimated loss of millions of pesos. This is done by industries, small business and homes. The evasion of payment has made it difficult for the city to finance expansion of the system into new neighborhoods.
Just under eighty percent are Catholic with just over thirteen percent belonging to Protestant or other Christian groups.
Most of the population is mestizo
with a significant population of ethnic Zoque
s. Although about 25% of the state’s population speaks an indigenous language, the percentage is much lower in the municipality of Tuxtla. As of 2005, there were 8,256 people who spoke an indigenous language out of a total population of 434,143. The percentage of indigenous language speakers rose somewhat from 1995 to 2000 as many rural people moved into the area as a consequesnce of the Zapatista rebellion. This has added languages such as Tzotzil
, Tzeltal
, Zapotec and Ch'ol to the native Zoque
.
. It includes offerings, fireworks in frames called “castillos” (castles) and pilgrimages for four days starting on the 25th. The Feria de Chiapas includes bullfights, horse racing, cockfight
s and exhibitions of the many products of the state, including crafts, manufactured goods and agricultural products. It is held on the next to last Sunday of November through the first Sunday of December. Reflecting the area’s Zoque heritage is the Zoque Carnival and a ritual called the “lowering of the virgins” which occurs in Copoya. Other important celebrations in the municipality include the San Roque, San Jacinto, San Pascualito, San Francisco, Santo Domingo and the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Much of the cuisine of the municipality reflects that of the rest of the state and includes pictes (a sweet corn tamale
), la chispota (beef with chickpeas and cabbage), niguijuti (pork with mole sauce
), sopa de pan (bread with broth and vegetables), cochito (pork in adobo
sauce), chanfaina (lamb innards with rice), a legume called patashete, and traditional Chiapas tamales made with chipilín. Local drinks include pozol
, taxcalate, agua de chía tashiagual and pinole. Some local specialties include carnes parrilladas (grilled meat platter), carne molida tartars (spicy ground meat “cooked” with lime juice with onions, tomatoes and cilantro).
Despite the relatively hot climate, shorts are not worn and many consider them offensive. Older men generally wear loose embroidered shirts and slacks and older women tend to wear skirts. Younger generations tend to wear jeans and sandals. Business suits are uncommon.
population, which means “land or house of rabbits.” The Aztec
s intruded into the area and named it “Tochtlán” which means the same thing. “Gutiérrez” was added to the city’s name in 1848 to honor Joaquín Miguel Gutiérrez, a Liberal politician.
After the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, and the subjugation of the Chiapa people in 1528, the Dominicans
constructed a monastery in nearby Tecpatán, which today is an independent municipality. There is no official founding date for Tuxtla, but it is known that in the middle of the 16th century, these monks gathered dispersed Zoques in the valley into communities centered on churches. Today’s San Marcos Cathedral is the parish church founded by the Dominicans for one of these communities in 1560. During much of the colonial era, this was a relatively small community, governed by nearby Chiapa de los Indios, today Chiapa de Corzo
.
By 1611, the community had a population of about 900 people, almost all Zoques, and in 1693, a group of these people rebelled and killed the then governor of the area Captain Manuel Maisterra y Antocha. The community remained mostly indigenous. In 1762, it had a population of about 1,400 with about half still paying tribute to the Spanish as conquered peoples. By 1768, it had grown enough to become the second “alcaldia mayor” in what is now the state of Chiapas, after San Cristóbal (de las Casas). Its population was about 3,700 by 1776. In 1786, the intendencia of Ciudad Real de Chiapa was formed, fusing the governments of Soconusco with those of Tuxtla and San Cristóbal, with the first governor being Francisco Saavedra y Carvajal. The city remained head of a local district with jurisdiction over thirty three other communities.
The village was officially recognized as a town in 1813 with a population of about 5,000, three-quarters of which were Zoques. In 1821, the authorities of the town proclaimed independence from both Spain and the regional colonial government of Guatemala
, along with other areas in what would become Chiapas. However, this declaration was not accepted by either Guatemala or Mexico
. In 1823, various cities tried to form an independent state of Chiapas, but this did not settle the political situation. A referendum was held in 1824, with Tuxtla voting to become part of Guatemala. However, the results came out in favor of joining with Mexico. Tuxtla protested voting irregularities but by October of that year, it accepted the results.
For most of the 19th century, Liberal and Conservative factions would struggle for power in Mexico
, with Tuxtla favoring Liberal ideology. The first newspaper in the city was published in 1827 called Campana Chiapaneca under Joaquin Miguel Gutiérrez. Gutierrez died in 1838, fighting for Liberal ideals. The community would be named after him ten years later. In 1829, Tuxtla officially became a city, declared so by the governor of the state. The continued struggle between Liberals and Conservatives would cause the state capital to move between the colonial power center of San Cristóbal
and the Liberal base of Tuxtla. Tuxtla was capital for brief periods in 1834-35, 1858–1861 and 1864-1867 when the Liberals were in power. When Conservatives were in power, Tuxtla was the head of a department called the West District. It was not until the Porfirio Díaz
era when major reform came to the state and with it the permanent placement of the capital to Tuxtla in 1892, where it has been since. In the 19th century, the city hall functioned as the state government building when Tuxtla was the capital but eventually a new “state government palace” was built.
The first library in the state was founded here in 1910.
During the Mexican Revolution
, a battalion called “The Sons of Tuxtla” was formed in 1911, with Captain Julio Miramontes assassinated in 1912. Troops in support of Venustiano Carranza
took over in 1914, led by Agustín Castro. In 1915, the state was reorganized into the municipality system with the city becoming the head of one of these, with Noé Vázquez as first municipal president. The city remained as the state capital. Reaction against Carranza policies were headed by the “Mapaches,” a group of landholders in the state who objected to the loss of their privileges and the redistribution of their lands. They burned the state government building, destroying its archives in 1915. General Salvador Alvarado and 2500 troops fought the Mapaches commanded General Tiburcio Fernandez Ruiz.
Catholic churches were closed and images of saints were burned in the city in 1934.
In 1941, the municipal government moved from the old building on El Tríunfo Street in the Santo Domingo neighborhood to the corner of Avenida Central and Calle 2ª Poniente on lands that belonged to the city’s first municipal president. Here a new “municipal palace” was built in Neoclassical style. However, the municipal palace was moved again to its current location in 1982, and the Neoclassical building was given to the Federación de Trabajadores del Estado de Chiapas.
The Diocese of Tuxtla
was created in 1965, elevated the parish of San Marcos to a cathedral.
The first Feria de Chiapas was held in 1980.
The municipality suffered 38 wildfires in 1988.
John Paul II visited the city in 1990.
During the 1990s, the state of Chiapas was racked by the EZLN or Zapatista uprising. While most of this group’s activity was in San Cristóbal and rural areas of the state, Tuxtla was also affected by it. As many as 10,000 Zapatista sympathizers protested in the city in 1998 to push federal officials to honor the 1994 San Ándres Accords
and to push for new gubernatorial elections and other demands. The political instability pushed many indigenous into the municipality from more rural areas in the latter half of the decade. In 1998, PRD politician, EZLN activist and leader of the Asamblea Estatal Democratica del Pueblo Chiapaneco Rubicel Ruiz Gamboa was assassinated in the city. It is thought the act was in response to Ruiz Gamboa’s work in land redistribution in the state’s La Frailesca region.
In the 1990s, Mexicana airlines
stopped service to Tuxtla, leaving only the Aerocaribe
. A major crash killing nineteen led to protests and the reinstatement of service to the city by Mexicana in 2000.
The city’s football team, the Jaguares
reached the First Division in 2002.
Between 1991 and 1993, at least eighteen homosexuals and transvestites were murdered by unknown persons in the city. This act has since attracted the attention of international rights groups such as Amnesty International
, which states that violence against this sector of the population continues. While the city has long had areas of prostitution, concerns about underage prostitutes, especially transvestite prostitutes in the Central and Cinco de Mayo parks, led to the city banning of men wearing women’s clothing in public in 2002. In addition, transvestite and similar shows have lost their permits to operate.
In 2011, the government of Guatemala announced that it would open a consulate in the city to support its nationals who cross through Mexican territory or reside here. The government noted the problems that many Guatemalans, especially those who enter Mexico illegally have had in the country. Many travel through the area illegally. A tractor trailer with 219 illegal immigrants was stopped in the municipality in early 2011. Most were Guatemalan and almost all from Central Americans but there were also people from Sri Lanka
and Nepal
. The migrants were detected by using portable X ray on the passing truck.
There are three main rivers in the municipality, the Grijalva
or Grande de Chiapa, the Suchiapa
and the Sabinal
. The last is severely polluted.
With its relatively low altitude, the area has a hot and relatively humid climate with most rain falling in the summer. However, it is not as hot and humid as Houston or New York
in high summer. Except for a rainy and dry season (summer-fall and winter-spring respectively) there is little variation in the climate during the year. Even the distinction between the rainy and dry season is one of quantity of rain. Air conditioning is rare as most homes and offices use fans and most rooms and offices open into streets or courtyards. Most businesses close in the late afternoon from between 2 until 4:30 or 5:00 when it can get hot. Although it is not on the coast, it is close enough that hurricanes and tropical storms can affect it at time. In 2003, Tropical Storm Larry
caused flooding in the city, forcing the evacuation of 7,000 people.
The natural vegetation of the area is lowland rainforest; however much as been cut down by logging and clearing for farmland and pasture. Most of the municipality’s forest and wildlife is found in a number of reserves including the Centro Ecological Recreativo El Zapotal, the Cerro Maxtumatzá State Reserve, the Vedada Villa Allende Protected Forest Zone and the Sumidero Canyon National Park. The largest of these is Sumidero Canyon which spreads out over 21789.41 hectares in three other municipalities besides Tuxtla. It was established in 1980. El Zapotal was created in 1990 and extends over 192.57 hectares completely within the municipality. It contains lowland rainforest, subtropical forest and some highland rainforest. All of these contain deciduous and perennial species. Cerro Maxtumatzá was established in 1997 and with an area of 613.70 hectares within the municipality. It contains oak, holm oak
and tropical forests and with some areas still containing old growth. Because of the rapid growth of the city, these green areas are under pressure. In 2011, over 200 illegal squatters were evicted from an area called “El paraíso” on the Mactumactzá Mountain, which is an ecological reserve in the municipality. This settlement covered an area of ten hectares.
There are numerous universities and colleges as well as business and language schools. The Instituto Tecnológico de Tuxtla Gutiérrez (ITTG) was founded in the 1970s as the Instituto Tecnológico Regional de Tuxtla Gutiérrez (ITRTG) offering programs in Internal Combustion Engines, Electricity, Laboratory Chemist and Machines and Tools. Today, the school offers various university level majors such as Industrial Engineering, Computer Systems and Biochemistry. Since 1998, it has offered Masters in Biotechnology, Administration and Biochemical Engineering.
. As of 2005, there were 121,312 residences, with 111,567 owned by their occupants. On average, there are 4.25 occupants per household, slightly lower than the regional and state averages of 4.52 and 4.85. Almost all of these have some kind of flooring with less than ten percent having packed earth. Over 84% of homes have block sides and over 70% have concrete slab roofs under 15% having asbestos roofs. Over 98% have electricity, over 78% have running water and about 94% have sewerage service.
Over 75% of the city’s population is employed in commerce and services, which includes government. This is above the regional level of 53.36% and state level of 37.31%.Government at the state, federal and local levels has been one of the main sources of employment in the city since the 1970s. Although the city has 68 hotels with 2,874 rooms, it is not a major tourist attraction. Most visitors to the city are there on business or Mexican nationals. However, it is a main transportation hub for those going to other parts of the state, with its first class bus station and new airport
. Tourism during Holy Week
adds over 150 million pesos to the state’s economy, much of which passes through the city, especially the main airport. The city saw hotel occupancy rates rise fifty percent in 2003 during Holy Week. Grupo Ferrara constructed 100 new hotel rooms in the city in 2006, including an executive tower at the Holiday Inn. Most foreign visitors through the city are young, especially from European countries such as France
, Spain
, Italy
, Switzerland
and England
, who pass through the bus station. However, most that pass through either the airport or the bus station do not explore the city itself, because tour guides often state there is nothing here.
Just over 19% of the population is dedicated to industry, manufacturing, construction and transportation. Just over two percent of the municipality’s population is dedicated to agriculture, livestock and forestry compared to 26.14 of the region and 47.25% of the state. Economic activities include commerce and the agricultural production of corn, beans, fruit, dairy cattle and domestic fowl.
which has cut travel time between the two places from two hours to forty five minutes. The first class bus station serves many Mexican travelers as well as backpackers especially from Europe. The large airport connects to many other parts of Mexico. The bus station is served by the Cristobal Colon, Maya de Oro, ADO and Rapidos del Sur lines. Around the bus station there are parks and numerous affordable restaurants.
The city has always had two airports although one was replaced by a newer facility and the other was rehabilitated as both were considered dangerous. Today, the city’s main airport is in the neighboring municipality of Chiapa de Corzo
35 km from the center of the city of Tuxtla Gutiérrez. It has become one of the more important airports in the country since opening in 2006 with just over 640,000 passengers traveling through it in 2009. It is also one of the most modern facilities in the country, covering 740 hectares. It cost about one billion pesos
to build and was funded by government and private investors. Its official name is Ángel Albino Corzo International Airport
, with IATA code TGZ. There is taxi service from the airport to the Chiapa de Corzo and bus service to both Tuxtla Gutiérrez and San Cristóbal de las Casas. The new facility can receive flights directly from the United States and Central America with plans for South America
n arrivals in the future. Continental Airlines
began service between Houston and Tuxtla in 2010. Interjet
provides service between Mexico City and Tuxtla which now includes an “Ecojet” which is modified to be more fuel efficient.
in 2011was held in Tuxtla Gutiérrez. The Carrera Panamericana
begins in Tuxtla Gutiérrez and ends in Zacatecas
six days later for a distance of 3,261 km. The race has featured historic cars such as the Volvo
257 and the Studebaker
, as the competition is divided into categories such as Tourist, Sport, Historical and Original Panamericana. The race has a long history but its current incarnation began in 1988 as a rally. The original ran from Ciudad Juárez
to Tuxtla Gutiérrez in the 1950s.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
state of Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
. It is considered to be the state’s most modern city, with most of its public buildings dating from the 20th century. One exception to this is the San Marcos Cathedral which began as a Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
parish church built in 1560 for Zoque
Zoque
The Zoque are an indigenous people of Mexico; they speak variants of the Zoque languages.This group consists of 41,609 people, according to the 2000 census...
natives. Prior to this, there had been no significant settlement on the site. Unlike many other areas of Chiapas, Tuxtla is not a tourist attraction, but it is a transportation hub for tourists coming into the state, with a major airport and first class bus station. The city is business oriented with government providing a significant portion of the employment.
The city/municipality
Tuxtla Gutiérrez is the largest and most modern city in Chiapas with an accelerated population growth rate. Most of its public buildings are from the 20th century, so there is very little colonial architecture. It is clean and business oriented. Residents of the city tend to be administrators, government officials, businessmen, teachers and students. The city has wide busy avenues, filled with cars, taxis, busses and more. Shopping ranges from modern commercial plazas and malls to traditional marketsTraditional fixed markets in Mexico
Traditional fixed markets in Mexico go by a variety of names such as "mercados públicos" , "mercados municipales" or even more often simply "mercados"...
and open air tianguis
Tianguis
A tianguis is an open air market or bazaar that is traditionally held on certain market days in a town or city neighborhood in Mexico and Central America. This bazaar tradition has its roots well into the pre-Hispanic period and continues in many cases essentially unchanged into the present day....
.
In 2011, the city was the first in Mexico to be certified as a “safe city” by the federal government and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
due to its very low crime rate, crime prevention programs and other factors. According to the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
and FDi magazine
FDi magazine
fDi Magazine is an English-language bi-monthly news and foreign direct investment publication owned by The Financial Times Ltd and edited in London. The A4 glossy pages reach a circulation of 14, 768 ABC “senior decision-makers involved in overseas investment” across the world...
, Tuxtla is one of a number of cities worldwide considered to be “cities of the future.” It was evaluated based on its economic potential, human resources, cost-benefit ratio, quality of life, infrastructure and business environment.
The city is centered on a large square called the Plaza Cívica, which is surrounded by government buildings such as the municipal and state government offices (called “palaces”) . On one side of this plaza is the city’s most important landmark, the San Marcos Cathedral, named after the patron saint of the city, Mark the Evangelist
Mark the Evangelist
Mark the Evangelist is the traditional author of the Gospel of Mark. He is one of the Seventy Disciples of Christ, and the founder of the Church of Alexandria, one of the original four main sees of Christianity....
. The church was founded in the second half of the 16th century, as a Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
parish and has had significant changes to the structure since it was built. Its apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
is the only one conserved in Chiapas from the colonial era, on which remnants of frescos can be seen. The current interior is Neoclassical. It has a single nave with a Latin cross layout with two side chapels. Its current facade and tower is modeled somewhat along colonial lines, with Doric columns. The structure’s current appearance, mostly in plain white, is a result of its last remodeling which was done in the 1980s. The best known feature of this church is the forty eight bells that ring out each hour, accompanied by a “parade” of statues of the Apostles that appear on the bell tower.
The city has a number of notable parks and other green spaces. Madero Park is located on 5a Norte Avenue where is crosses Calzada de Sumidero about six blocks from the Plaza Cívica. It is a green area which is cut by a street called Paseo de los Hombres Ilustres. Along this corridor, there are various museums and cultural centers which include the Dr. Faustino Miranda Botanical Garden, which occupies four hectares along the Sabinal River
Sabinal River
The Sabinal River is a river in Texas. During exceptional drought large portions of this river may flow underground, with scattered pools of surface water.-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map - State of Texas...
. Across from the garden is the botanical museum which has a large exhibition of the various wood trees of the state. There is also a natural history museum with a number of preserved species of animals and plants as well as artifacts and maps of the historical indigenous peoples of the state. Parque Jardín de la Marimba (Marimba Garden Park) is located is eight blocks from the Plaza Civica on Central Poniente and 8a Poniente Norte and named after the most characteristic musical instrument of the state
Marimba
The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
. The park was established in 1993 to be a meeting place for families with, numerous trees, colonial style benches, lighting at night and a central kiosk. Here, marimba bands play, which often attracts older couples who come to dance. It also hosts larger musical and other events, usually related to the marimba.
On the edge of the city is the El Zapotal Ecological Reserve, best known as the home of the Zoológico Miguel Alvarez del Toro Zoo
ZOOMAT
The ZOOMAT is a Mexican zoo located in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas. It was founded in 1942 as Zoológico de Tuxtla Gutiérrez. It was renamed after its director Miguel Alvarez del Toro and relocated in 1981. Currently it is located in a nature reserve known as El Zapotal. The altitude is and the...
, often simply referred to as the ZooMAT. The zoo covers 100 hectares and was founded by Miguel Alvarez del Toro
Miguel Alvarez del Toro
Miguel Carlos Francisco Alvarez del Toro was a Mexican Biologist who worked in the state of Chiapas as head of the Institute of Natural History. He married Clementina Pérez.He was the first Mexican conservationist....
in 1942. He was also the director for over fifty years. ZooMAT is considered to be one of the best zoos of its kind in Latin America. It exhibits, studies, protects and preserves the native species of Chiapas, which have suffered severe stress due to human activities. The zoo has programs for research, environmental education and wildlife conservation. The zoo is especially known for its work in preserving the quetzal, being the first to breed the bird in captivity in the 1970s. The design of the zoo respects the topography of the zone and only exhibits regional wildlife. It contains 1,400 animals from 220 species including jaguar
Jaguar
The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...
s, tapir
Tapir
A Tapir is a large browsing mammal, similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile snout. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia. There are four species of Tapirs: the Brazilian Tapir, the Malayan Tapir, Baird's Tapir and the Mountain...
s, macaw
Macaw
Macaws are small to large, often colourful New World parrots. Of the many different Psittacidae genera, six are classified as macaws: Ara, Anodorhynchus, Cyanopsitta, Primolius, Orthopsittaca, and Diopsittaca...
s, spider monkey
Spider monkey
Spider monkeys of the genus Ateles are New World monkeys in the subfamily Atelinae, family Atelidae. Like other atelines, they are found in tropical forests of Central and South America, from southern Mexico to Brazil...
s, howler monkey
Howler monkey
Howler monkeys are among the largest of the New World monkeys. Fifteen species are currently recognised. Previously classified in the family Cebidae, they are now placed in the family Atelidae. These monkeys are native to South and Central American forests...
s and quetzal
Quetzal
Quetzals are strikingly colored birds in the trogon family . They are found in forests and woodlands, especially in humid highlands, with the five species from the genus Pharomachrus being exclusively Neotropical, while the single Euptilotis species is almost entirely restricted to western Mexico...
s. Over 150 of the species freely roam in natural enclosures and in some areas, animals such as deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, iguana
Iguana
Iguana is a herbivorous genus of lizard native to tropical areas of Central America and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his book Specimen Medicum, Exhibens Synopsin Reptilium Emendatam cum Experimentis circa Venena...
s, small reptiles and birds come very close to the areas where humans pass. Sixty of the species exhibited here are in danger of extinction, including the jaguar, the ocelot
Ocelot
The ocelot , pronounced /ˈɒsəˌlɒt/, also known as the dwarf leopard or McKenney's wildcat is a wild cat distributed over South and Central America and Mexico, but has been reported as far north as Texas and in Trinidad, in the Caribbean...
, the macaw, the quetzal and howler monkey.
The largest museum in the city is the Museo Regional de Antropología e Historia (Regional Museum of Anthropology and History)
Regional Museum of Anthropology and History of Chiapas
The Regional Museum of Anthropology and History of Chiapas is the largest museum in Tuxtla Gutiérrez in Chiapas and one of the most important of its kind in Mexico...
, which one of the most important of its kind in Mexico. The building was constructed in modern style between 1979 and 1982, designed by architect Juan Miramontes Nájera. This design received first prize at the Third Biennial Architecture Contest in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
in 1985. Its permanent collection covers the history of the state and is divided into two halls: one for archeology and the other for history starting from the Spanish conquest . Next to it, there is the Museo de Palenontología “Eliseo Palacios Aguilera” which was inaugurated in 2002 and is the only museum of its type in the state. It contains exhibits of over 200 fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s, all from Chiapas, with range in age from 300 million to 10,000 years old. The main hall is centered on a reconstruction of a Megatherium
Megatherium
Megatherium was a genus of elephant-sized ground sloths endemic to Central America and South America that lived from the Pliocene through Pleistocene existing approximately...
. There is also a display dedicated to the amber of the state with pieces containing insects and spiders.
The Chiapas Museum of Science and Technology is an interactive museum for children and adults demonstrating advances in modern times in three halls: Earth and Universe, Life and Humans, and Communications and Tools.
The Mercado de los Ancianos is a large traditional market southeast of the center of town near the zoo. It offers fresh flowers, meat, seafood, clothes, household goods and more. It has an outdoor café under a big red tent, and serves its dishes prepared from the items available in the market. These include shrimp dishes, chicken, fried whole fish, carne asada
Carne asada
In Mexican cuisine, "Carne asada" is an item that consists of thin beef steak. The meat can be marinated by rubbing with olive oil and salt or with spice rubs such as lemon and pepper or garlic salt, lime, or Worcestershire sauce, before being cooked on a grill. The meat can be served alone or...
(grilled beef) and tacos. The Instituto de las Artesanias y Productos de Chiapas (Institute of Handcrafts and Products of Chiapas), also called the Casa de Artesanias, is a large purple building on the main boulevard of town, run by the government to promote the state’s traditional products. These include the best of Chiapas handcrafts including textiles, clothing, toys, ceramics and wood sculptures as well as genuine amber
Amber
Amber is fossilized tree resin , which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Amber is used as an ingredient in perfumes, as a healing agent in folk medicine, and as jewelry. There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents...
jewelry. It also contains an Ethnographic Museum which shows scenes representing the lifestyles of the various indigenous groups of Chiapas with dioramas of rural villages and how crafts are made. There are also mannequins displaying indigenous dress. It also sells coffee and regional candies from the state.
The Casa de la Cultura of the city is located at Avenida 1a Ponente Norte. Two other important churches are the Santo Domingo Parish and the Santo Niño Temple.
As a municipality, the city is the local government authority for eighty three other communities which cover a territory of 412.40km2. The three urban communities of the municipality are Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Copoya and El Jobo. However, all of the rural communities have populations of less than 600 and most have less than 200. Important rural communities include Emiliano Zapata (Agua Fría), La Libertad, Tierra Colorada, Lacandón, San Juan and San Vicente El Alto. It borders the municipalities of San Fernando
San Fernando, Chiapas
San Fernando is a town and one of the 119 Municipalities of Chiapas, in southern Mexico.As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 26,436. It covers an area of 258.3 km²....
, Osumacinta
Osumacinta
Osumacinta is a town and one of the 119 Municipalities of Chiapas, in southern Mexico.As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 3,132. It covers an area of 221.1 km²....
, Chiapa de Corzo
Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas
Chiapa de Corzo is a small city and situated in the west-central part of the Mexican state of Chiapas. Located in the Grijalva River valley of the Chiapas highlands, Chiapa de Corzo lies some 15 km to the east of the state capital, Tuxtla Gutiérrez...
, Suchiapa
Suchiapa
Suchiapa is a town and one of the 119 Municipalities of Chiapas, in southern Mexico.As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 15,890. It covers an area of 355.2 km²....
, Ocozocoautla and Berriozábal
Berriozábal
Berriozábal is a town and one of the 119 Municipalities of Chiapas, in southern Mexico.As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 28,719. It covers an area of 300.6 km²....
.
Demographics
Over 46% of the population of the Central Valley region of Chiapas lives in the city. Most are young, with 66% under the age of thirty and the average age of twenty three. The rate of population growth is about four percent, with the population expected to double in less than twenty years. 99.56% of the municipality’s population lives in three urban areas with the rest scattered among 81 other rural communities. The population density is 1,053/km2 well above the regional average of 75/km2 and state 52/km2. The average woman has 2.27 children, below the regional average of 2.87 and the state average of 3.47. There is some immigration into the city, mostly from VeracruzVeracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
, State of Mexico and Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
.
The population growth of the municipality has exceeded that of the state for the last five decades. From 1990 to 2000, the municipality has a growth rate of 3.95% almost double the state average. However, the greatest rate of growth was between 1970 and 1980 when it was 8.6%. This population growth has led to high demands for lands, housing, infrastructure and services, with many not able to keep up, especially in low income areas, which is about 40% of the city. There are an estimated 15,000 cases of illegally tapping into the city’s water distribution system, with an estimated loss of millions of pesos. This is done by industries, small business and homes. The evasion of payment has made it difficult for the city to finance expansion of the system into new neighborhoods.
Just under eighty percent are Catholic with just over thirteen percent belonging to Protestant or other Christian groups.
Most of the population is mestizo
Mestizo
Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
with a significant population of ethnic Zoque
Zoque
The Zoque are an indigenous people of Mexico; they speak variants of the Zoque languages.This group consists of 41,609 people, according to the 2000 census...
s. Although about 25% of the state’s population speaks an indigenous language, the percentage is much lower in the municipality of Tuxtla. As of 2005, there were 8,256 people who spoke an indigenous language out of a total population of 434,143. The percentage of indigenous language speakers rose somewhat from 1995 to 2000 as many rural people moved into the area as a consequesnce of the Zapatista rebellion. This has added languages such as Tzotzil
Tzotzil language
Tzotzil is a Maya language spoken by the indigenous Tzotzil Maya people in the Mexican state of Chiapas. According to an INEGI 2005 census, there are 329,937 speakers of Tzotzil in Mexico, making it the 6th most spoken indigenous language in the country...
, Tzeltal
Tzeltal language
- External links :*...
, Zapotec and Ch'ol to the native Zoque
Zoque languages
The Zoque languages are languages of the Zoquean branch of the Mixe–Zoquean language family indigenous to southern Mexico.The Zoque languages are spoken in the in northern Chiapas and far eastern Chiapas around Chimalapa, and in Ayapa Tabasco altogether by around 88,000 indigenous Zoque people...
.
Culture and gastronomy
The two most important local celebrations are the Feria de San Marcos and the Feria de Chiapas. The Feria de San Marcos (San Marcos Fair) occurs each April in the center of the city, honoring the patron saint of Mark the EvangelistMark the Evangelist
Mark the Evangelist is the traditional author of the Gospel of Mark. He is one of the Seventy Disciples of Christ, and the founder of the Church of Alexandria, one of the original four main sees of Christianity....
. It includes offerings, fireworks in frames called “castillos” (castles) and pilgrimages for four days starting on the 25th. The Feria de Chiapas includes bullfights, horse racing, cockfight
Cockfight
A cockfight is a blood sport between two roosters , held in a ring called a cockpit. Cockfighting is now illegal throughout all states in the United States, Brazil, Australia and in most of Europe. It is still legal in several U.S. territories....
s and exhibitions of the many products of the state, including crafts, manufactured goods and agricultural products. It is held on the next to last Sunday of November through the first Sunday of December. Reflecting the area’s Zoque heritage is the Zoque Carnival and a ritual called the “lowering of the virgins” which occurs in Copoya. Other important celebrations in the municipality include the San Roque, San Jacinto, San Pascualito, San Francisco, Santo Domingo and the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Much of the cuisine of the municipality reflects that of the rest of the state and includes pictes (a sweet corn tamale
Tamale
A tamale — or more correctly tamal — is a traditional Latin American dish made of masa , which is steamed or boiled in a leaf wrapper. The wrapping is discarded before eating...
), la chispota (beef with chickpeas and cabbage), niguijuti (pork with mole sauce
Mole (sauce)
Mole is the generic name for a number of sauces used in Mexican cuisine, as well as for dishes based on these sauces...
), sopa de pan (bread with broth and vegetables), cochito (pork in adobo
Adobo
Adobo is the immersion of raw food into a preparation, in the form of a stock , of different components, including paprika , oregano, salt, garlic, and vinegar — mixed according to the place of origin and the food with which it is intended to be used—primarily to preserve and enhance the flavor of...
sauce), chanfaina (lamb innards with rice), a legume called patashete, and traditional Chiapas tamales made with chipilín. Local drinks include pozol
Pozol
Pozol is a name for both the fermented corn dough and the drink made from it, which has its origins in Pre-Columbian Mexico. To the drink, other ingredients besides corn dough and water, such as cocoa, may be added...
, taxcalate, agua de chía tashiagual and pinole. Some local specialties include carnes parrilladas (grilled meat platter), carne molida tartars (spicy ground meat “cooked” with lime juice with onions, tomatoes and cilantro).
Despite the relatively hot climate, shorts are not worn and many consider them offensive. Older men generally wear loose embroidered shirts and slacks and older women tend to wear skirts. Younger generations tend to wear jeans and sandals. Business suits are uncommon.
History
As there was no pre Hispanic settlement at the site, the first half of the name, “Tuxtla” refers to the valley area. Originally, this valley was called Coyotoc by the native ZoqueZoque
The Zoque are an indigenous people of Mexico; they speak variants of the Zoque languages.This group consists of 41,609 people, according to the 2000 census...
population, which means “land or house of rabbits.” The Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
s intruded into the area and named it “Tochtlán” which means the same thing. “Gutiérrez” was added to the city’s name in 1848 to honor Joaquín Miguel Gutiérrez, a Liberal politician.
After the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, and the subjugation of the Chiapa people in 1528, the Dominicans
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
constructed a monastery in nearby Tecpatán, which today is an independent municipality. There is no official founding date for Tuxtla, but it is known that in the middle of the 16th century, these monks gathered dispersed Zoques in the valley into communities centered on churches. Today’s San Marcos Cathedral is the parish church founded by the Dominicans for one of these communities in 1560. During much of the colonial era, this was a relatively small community, governed by nearby Chiapa de los Indios, today Chiapa de Corzo
Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas
Chiapa de Corzo is a small city and situated in the west-central part of the Mexican state of Chiapas. Located in the Grijalva River valley of the Chiapas highlands, Chiapa de Corzo lies some 15 km to the east of the state capital, Tuxtla Gutiérrez...
.
By 1611, the community had a population of about 900 people, almost all Zoques, and in 1693, a group of these people rebelled and killed the then governor of the area Captain Manuel Maisterra y Antocha. The community remained mostly indigenous. In 1762, it had a population of about 1,400 with about half still paying tribute to the Spanish as conquered peoples. By 1768, it had grown enough to become the second “alcaldia mayor” in what is now the state of Chiapas, after San Cristóbal (de las Casas). Its population was about 3,700 by 1776. In 1786, the intendencia of Ciudad Real de Chiapa was formed, fusing the governments of Soconusco with those of Tuxtla and San Cristóbal, with the first governor being Francisco Saavedra y Carvajal. The city remained head of a local district with jurisdiction over thirty three other communities.
The village was officially recognized as a town in 1813 with a population of about 5,000, three-quarters of which were Zoques. In 1821, the authorities of the town proclaimed independence from both Spain and the regional colonial government of Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, along with other areas in what would become Chiapas. However, this declaration was not accepted by either Guatemala or Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. In 1823, various cities tried to form an independent state of Chiapas, but this did not settle the political situation. A referendum was held in 1824, with Tuxtla voting to become part of Guatemala. However, the results came out in favor of joining with Mexico. Tuxtla protested voting irregularities but by October of that year, it accepted the results.
For most of the 19th century, Liberal and Conservative factions would struggle for power in Mexico
Reform War
The Reform War in Mexico is one of the episodes of the long struggle between Liberal and Conservative forces that dominated the country’s history in the 19th century. The Liberals wanted a federalist government, limiting traditional Catholic Church and military influence in the country...
, with Tuxtla favoring Liberal ideology. The first newspaper in the city was published in 1827 called Campana Chiapaneca under Joaquin Miguel Gutiérrez. Gutierrez died in 1838, fighting for Liberal ideals. The community would be named after him ten years later. In 1829, Tuxtla officially became a city, declared so by the governor of the state. The continued struggle between Liberals and Conservatives would cause the state capital to move between the colonial power center of San Cristóbal
San Cristóbal de las Casas
San Cristóbal de las Casas also known as it's native Tsotsil name, Jovel is a city and municipality located in the Central Highlands region of the Mexican state of Chiapas...
and the Liberal base of Tuxtla. Tuxtla was capital for brief periods in 1834-35, 1858–1861 and 1864-1867 when the Liberals were in power. When Conservatives were in power, Tuxtla was the head of a department called the West District. It was not until the Porfirio Díaz
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...
era when major reform came to the state and with it the permanent placement of the capital to Tuxtla in 1892, where it has been since. In the 19th century, the city hall functioned as the state government building when Tuxtla was the capital but eventually a new “state government palace” was built.
The first library in the state was founded here in 1910.
During the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
, a battalion called “The Sons of Tuxtla” was formed in 1911, with Captain Julio Miramontes assassinated in 1912. Troops in support of Venustiano Carranza
Venustiano Carranza
Venustiano Carranza de la Garza, was one of the leaders of the Mexican Revolution. He ultimately became President of Mexico following the overthrow of the dictatorial Huerta regime in the summer of 1914 and during his administration the current constitution of Mexico was drafted...
took over in 1914, led by Agustín Castro. In 1915, the state was reorganized into the municipality system with the city becoming the head of one of these, with Noé Vázquez as first municipal president. The city remained as the state capital. Reaction against Carranza policies were headed by the “Mapaches,” a group of landholders in the state who objected to the loss of their privileges and the redistribution of their lands. They burned the state government building, destroying its archives in 1915. General Salvador Alvarado and 2500 troops fought the Mapaches commanded General Tiburcio Fernandez Ruiz.
Catholic churches were closed and images of saints were burned in the city in 1934.
In 1941, the municipal government moved from the old building on El Tríunfo Street in the Santo Domingo neighborhood to the corner of Avenida Central and Calle 2ª Poniente on lands that belonged to the city’s first municipal president. Here a new “municipal palace” was built in Neoclassical style. However, the municipal palace was moved again to its current location in 1982, and the Neoclassical building was given to the Federación de Trabajadores del Estado de Chiapas.
The Diocese of Tuxtla
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tuxtla Gutiérrez
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tuxtla Gutiérrez is a Metropolitan Archdiocese in Mexico. Based in the city of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, it is responsible for the suffragan dioceses of San Cristóbal de Las Casas and Tapachula...
was created in 1965, elevated the parish of San Marcos to a cathedral.
The first Feria de Chiapas was held in 1980.
The municipality suffered 38 wildfires in 1988.
John Paul II visited the city in 1990.
During the 1990s, the state of Chiapas was racked by the EZLN or Zapatista uprising. While most of this group’s activity was in San Cristóbal and rural areas of the state, Tuxtla was also affected by it. As many as 10,000 Zapatista sympathizers protested in the city in 1998 to push federal officials to honor the 1994 San Ándres Accords
San Andrés Accords
The San Andrés Accords are agreements reached between the Zapatista Army of National Liberation and the Mexican government, at that time headed by President Ernesto Zedillo. The accords were signed on February 16, 1996, in San Andrés Larráinzar, Chiapas, and granted autonomy, recognition, and...
and to push for new gubernatorial elections and other demands. The political instability pushed many indigenous into the municipality from more rural areas in the latter half of the decade. In 1998, PRD politician, EZLN activist and leader of the Asamblea Estatal Democratica del Pueblo Chiapaneco Rubicel Ruiz Gamboa was assassinated in the city. It is thought the act was in response to Ruiz Gamboa’s work in land redistribution in the state’s La Frailesca region.
In the 1990s, Mexicana airlines
Mexicana de Aviación
Founded in 1921, Compañía Mexicana de Aviación, S.A. de C.V. was Mexico's oldest airline, before ceasing operations on August 28, 2010. The group's closure was announced by the company's recently installed management team a short time after the group filed for Concurso Mercantil and US Chapter 15...
stopped service to Tuxtla, leaving only the Aerocaribe
Aerocaribe
Aerocaribe was an airline based in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico. It was a regional affiliate of Mexicana operating services under the Mexicana Inter banner and codeshares with its parent company. It operated almost 120 flights a day...
. A major crash killing nineteen led to protests and the reinstatement of service to the city by Mexicana in 2000.
The city’s football team, the Jaguares
Jaguares de Chiapas
The Club de Fútbol Jaguares de Chiapas, is a Mexican football club now based in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, in the state of Chiapas. They currently play in Primera División de México...
reached the First Division in 2002.
Between 1991 and 1993, at least eighteen homosexuals and transvestites were murdered by unknown persons in the city. This act has since attracted the attention of international rights groups such as Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, which states that violence against this sector of the population continues. While the city has long had areas of prostitution, concerns about underage prostitutes, especially transvestite prostitutes in the Central and Cinco de Mayo parks, led to the city banning of men wearing women’s clothing in public in 2002. In addition, transvestite and similar shows have lost their permits to operate.
In 2011, the government of Guatemala announced that it would open a consulate in the city to support its nationals who cross through Mexican territory or reside here. The government noted the problems that many Guatemalans, especially those who enter Mexico illegally have had in the country. Many travel through the area illegally. A tractor trailer with 219 illegal immigrants was stopped in the municipality in early 2011. Most were Guatemalan and almost all from Central Americans but there were also people from Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
and Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
. The migrants were detected by using portable X ray on the passing truck.
Environment
The city has an altitude of 600 meters above sea level and sit in the long narrow Tochtlán Valley, which is part of the larger Central Valley region of the state. On the north and south sides of the municipality, the land rises into mountainous terrain as one heads out of the valley.There are three main rivers in the municipality, the Grijalva
Grijalva River
Grijalva River, formerly known as Tabasco River. is a 480 km long river in southeastern Mexico. It is named after Juan de Grijalva who visited the area in 1518. The river rises in Chiapas highlands and flows from Chiapas to the state of Tabasco through the Sumidero Canyon into the Bay of...
or Grande de Chiapa, the Suchiapa
Suchiapa River
-References:*Atlas of Mexico, 1975 .*The Prentice Hall American World Atlas, 1984.*Rand McNally, The New International Atlas, 1993....
and the Sabinal
Sabinal River
The Sabinal River is a river in Texas. During exceptional drought large portions of this river may flow underground, with scattered pools of surface water.-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map - State of Texas...
. The last is severely polluted.
With its relatively low altitude, the area has a hot and relatively humid climate with most rain falling in the summer. However, it is not as hot and humid as Houston or New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in high summer. Except for a rainy and dry season (summer-fall and winter-spring respectively) there is little variation in the climate during the year. Even the distinction between the rainy and dry season is one of quantity of rain. Air conditioning is rare as most homes and offices use fans and most rooms and offices open into streets or courtyards. Most businesses close in the late afternoon from between 2 until 4:30 or 5:00 when it can get hot. Although it is not on the coast, it is close enough that hurricanes and tropical storms can affect it at time. In 2003, Tropical Storm Larry
Tropical Storm Larry
The name Larry has been used to name one tropical cyclone in the Atlantic Ocean and at least one in the southern hemisphere.In the Atlantic, the name is on the modern six-year lists:...
caused flooding in the city, forcing the evacuation of 7,000 people.
The natural vegetation of the area is lowland rainforest; however much as been cut down by logging and clearing for farmland and pasture. Most of the municipality’s forest and wildlife is found in a number of reserves including the Centro Ecological Recreativo El Zapotal, the Cerro Maxtumatzá State Reserve, the Vedada Villa Allende Protected Forest Zone and the Sumidero Canyon National Park. The largest of these is Sumidero Canyon which spreads out over 21789.41 hectares in three other municipalities besides Tuxtla. It was established in 1980. El Zapotal was created in 1990 and extends over 192.57 hectares completely within the municipality. It contains lowland rainforest, subtropical forest and some highland rainforest. All of these contain deciduous and perennial species. Cerro Maxtumatzá was established in 1997 and with an area of 613.70 hectares within the municipality. It contains oak, holm oak
Holm Oak
Quercus ilex, the Holm Oak or Holly Oak is a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region. It takes its name from holm, an ancient name for holly...
and tropical forests and with some areas still containing old growth. Because of the rapid growth of the city, these green areas are under pressure. In 2011, over 200 illegal squatters were evicted from an area called “El paraíso” on the Mactumactzá Mountain, which is an ecological reserve in the municipality. This settlement covered an area of ten hectares.
Education
As of 2000, the rate of illiteracy was 7.66% down from 10.68% in 1990. This is lower than the state average of 22.91%. Of those over the age of fifteen, just under fourteen percent have not finished primary school, just over fifteen percent have only completed primary school and the rest have gone beyond this level.There are numerous universities and colleges as well as business and language schools. The Instituto Tecnológico de Tuxtla Gutiérrez (ITTG) was founded in the 1970s as the Instituto Tecnológico Regional de Tuxtla Gutiérrez (ITRTG) offering programs in Internal Combustion Engines, Electricity, Laboratory Chemist and Machines and Tools. Today, the school offers various university level majors such as Industrial Engineering, Computer Systems and Biochemistry. Since 1998, it has offered Masters in Biotechnology, Administration and Biochemical Engineering.
Economy
The municipality is the only one in the state with a very low rate of economic marginalization, with the next lowest being San Cristóbal de las CasasSan Cristóbal de las Casas
San Cristóbal de las Casas also known as it's native Tsotsil name, Jovel is a city and municipality located in the Central Highlands region of the Mexican state of Chiapas...
. As of 2005, there were 121,312 residences, with 111,567 owned by their occupants. On average, there are 4.25 occupants per household, slightly lower than the regional and state averages of 4.52 and 4.85. Almost all of these have some kind of flooring with less than ten percent having packed earth. Over 84% of homes have block sides and over 70% have concrete slab roofs under 15% having asbestos roofs. Over 98% have electricity, over 78% have running water and about 94% have sewerage service.
Over 75% of the city’s population is employed in commerce and services, which includes government. This is above the regional level of 53.36% and state level of 37.31%.Government at the state, federal and local levels has been one of the main sources of employment in the city since the 1970s. Although the city has 68 hotels with 2,874 rooms, it is not a major tourist attraction. Most visitors to the city are there on business or Mexican nationals. However, it is a main transportation hub for those going to other parts of the state, with its first class bus station and new airport
Angel Albino Corzo International Airport
Ángel Albino Corzo International Airport is a new international airport located at the Mexican municipality of Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas. It handles air traffic for the city of Tuxtla Gutiérrez and central Chiapas....
. Tourism during Holy Week
Holy Week
Holy Week in Christianity is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter...
adds over 150 million pesos to the state’s economy, much of which passes through the city, especially the main airport. The city saw hotel occupancy rates rise fifty percent in 2003 during Holy Week. Grupo Ferrara constructed 100 new hotel rooms in the city in 2006, including an executive tower at the Holiday Inn. Most foreign visitors through the city are young, especially from European countries such as France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, who pass through the bus station. However, most that pass through either the airport or the bus station do not explore the city itself, because tour guides often state there is nothing here.
Just over 19% of the population is dedicated to industry, manufacturing, construction and transportation. Just over two percent of the municipality’s population is dedicated to agriculture, livestock and forestry compared to 26.14 of the region and 47.25% of the state. Economic activities include commerce and the agricultural production of corn, beans, fruit, dairy cattle and domestic fowl.
Transportation
The city is a transportation hub for the rest of the state. The municipality has 54.25 km of highway, over half of which is rural roads (28.75 km) with the rest administered by various federal and state agencies. This includes the Pan American Highway . It also includes a new highway linking it to San CristóbalSan Cristóbal de las Casas
San Cristóbal de las Casas also known as it's native Tsotsil name, Jovel is a city and municipality located in the Central Highlands region of the Mexican state of Chiapas...
which has cut travel time between the two places from two hours to forty five minutes. The first class bus station serves many Mexican travelers as well as backpackers especially from Europe. The large airport connects to many other parts of Mexico. The bus station is served by the Cristobal Colon, Maya de Oro, ADO and Rapidos del Sur lines. Around the bus station there are parks and numerous affordable restaurants.
The city has always had two airports although one was replaced by a newer facility and the other was rehabilitated as both were considered dangerous. Today, the city’s main airport is in the neighboring municipality of Chiapa de Corzo
Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas
Chiapa de Corzo is a small city and situated in the west-central part of the Mexican state of Chiapas. Located in the Grijalva River valley of the Chiapas highlands, Chiapa de Corzo lies some 15 km to the east of the state capital, Tuxtla Gutiérrez...
35 km from the center of the city of Tuxtla Gutiérrez. It has become one of the more important airports in the country since opening in 2006 with just over 640,000 passengers traveling through it in 2009. It is also one of the most modern facilities in the country, covering 740 hectares. It cost about one billion pesos
Mexican peso
The peso is the currency of Mexico. Modern peso and dollar currencies have a common origin in the 15th–19th century Spanish dollar, most continuing to use its sign, "$". The Mexican peso is the 12th most traded currency in the world, the third most traded in the Americas, and by far the most...
to build and was funded by government and private investors. Its official name is Ángel Albino Corzo International Airport
Angel Albino Corzo International Airport
Ángel Albino Corzo International Airport is a new international airport located at the Mexican municipality of Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas. It handles air traffic for the city of Tuxtla Gutiérrez and central Chiapas....
, with IATA code TGZ. There is taxi service from the airport to the Chiapa de Corzo and bus service to both Tuxtla Gutiérrez and San Cristóbal de las Casas. The new facility can receive flights directly from the United States and Central America with plans for South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n arrivals in the future. Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
began service between Houston and Tuxtla in 2010. Interjet
Interjet
ABC Aerolíneas, S.A. de C.V., operating as Interjet, is a low-cost airline with its headquarters in Lomas de Chapultepec, Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico City, Mexico. The airline operates scheduled flights to 24 domestic and 3 international destinations out of Toluca Airport and Mexico City International...
provides service between Mexico City and Tuxtla which now includes an “Ecojet” which is modified to be more fuel efficient.
Sports
Auto racing is growing in popularity in the city. Each major event held in the city is estimated to bring in about 40 million pesos of business. The fourth event of the NASCAR Corona SeriesNASCAR Corona Series
-Cars:In the first season only General Motors, as Pontiac, and Dodge participated in the series. Ford made its debut in 2005 with Mustang, since 2006 Fusion is the car of Ford. In 2009 Toyota started its participation with Camry...
in 2011was held in Tuxtla Gutiérrez. The Carrera Panamericana
Carrera Panamericana
The Carrera Panamericana was a border-to-border sports car racing event on open roads in Mexico similar to the Mille Miglia and Targa Florio in Italy. Running for five consecutive years from 1950 to 1954, it was widely held by contemporaries to be the most dangerous race of any type in the world...
begins in Tuxtla Gutiérrez and ends in Zacatecas
Zacatecas, Zacatecas
Zacatecas is a city and municipality in Mexico and the capital of the state of Zacatecas. It is located in the north central part of the country. The city had its start as a Spanish mining camp in the mid 16th century. Prior to this, the area's rich deposits in silver and other minerals were known...
six days later for a distance of 3,261 km. The race has featured historic cars such as the Volvo
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
257 and the Studebaker
Studebaker
Studebaker Corporation was a United States wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 under the name of the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company, the company was originally a producer of wagons for farmers, miners, and the...
, as the competition is divided into categories such as Tourist, Sport, Historical and Original Panamericana. The race has a long history but its current incarnation began in 1988 as a rally. The original ran from Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
to Tuxtla Gutiérrez in the 1950s.