[1] Although one of its important economic activities is tourism, the center of the town has not been overwhelmed with hotels and other tourist oriented businesses.

It and the La Asunción Church are the two most important as they represent its two patron saints of Mark the Evangelist and Our Lady of the Assumption.

[2] Parque Central Guillermo Sevilla Fiqueroa features modern architecture with a tall clock tower.

After mass the day ends with the burning of an effigy called “Juan Carnaval.”[3] Although popular etymology has the name derived from “Paso del Paraíso” (Heaven's Pass), in reality the name is from a type of leafy trees of the mahogany family.

[3] The town of Paraíso was most likely founded sometime between 1848 and 1852 as a camp by indigenous people in the Mecoacán area and then later occupied by mestizos from Jalpa de Méndez and Comalcalco.

During this same time, it was a Liberal or federalist stronghold even having its own radical guerrilla army known as “Los Cangrejos y Pejelagartos” (Crabs and Pejalagarto fish).

[3] The land is part of the Tabasco floodplain on the Gulf of Mexico with an average elevation of only two meters above sea level.

Due to its low-lying nature and climate, the area has abundant surface water in the forms of lagoons, lakes, estuaries and wetlands.

Major bodies of water include lakes and lagoons such as Mecoacán, La Machona, Tupilco, Puente de Ostión, La Encerrada (Amatillo), Tres Palmas, El Zorro, Arrastradero, Las Flores, Lagartera Tilapa, Manatí and El Eslabón.

[3] Surface water flow in the municipality is split into east and west, both connected by the Río Seco River and the Jobo Canal.

Mecoacán is considered to be the second most important lagoon system in Tabasco with extensive oyster banks below bordered by mangrove areas which have been reduced through timber exploitation.

The seaward side is formed by a chain of small islands at the mouth of the river with the largest three km in length.

Nonetheless, as is typical for places with a tropical monsoon climate, even the dry season sees some precipitation as well.

Wildlife is mostly limited to bird and reptile species such as storks, kingfishers, seagulls, buzzards, marine and freshwater turtles, and various small lizards.

The most important crop in the municipality is coconut as the number one producer in the state, accounting for over sixty percent of cropland.

Most manufacturing is small concerns which produce corn flour, chocolate, ice, clothing, cinderblock and tortillas.

[11] Paraíso beaches have been closed on occasion due to high toxicity of chemical spills, which negatively affects local tourism.

[10] In 2005, PEMEX cleaned twelve tons of pitch and other contaminants off 77 km of Tabasco beaches, including those in Paraíso.

[2][3] Seafood dishes typical of the area include oysters, and tourists can also tour the Mecoacán Lagoon by boat.

The beach in the area has a width of between forty and seventy meters with fine gray sand and warm blue waters with gentle waves.

[2][14] "The República de Paraíso" tourism corridor is a modern four-lane boulevard that connects the town with Puerto Ceiba and El Bellote to the east.

[14] In the early 2000s, there was an attempt to build an ecotourism resort on Isla Rebeca but the project was abandoned which many of the facilities half built.

[16] Other attractions include a center for the breeding of fresh water turtles, the only in Latin America and a crocodile sanctuary at the Tupilco Lagoon.

It also exports include bananas, mango, pineapple, Persian lemon, papaya, orange, coffee, sugar cane, cocoa, and peppers as well as products based on livestock.

[14] It borders the municipalities of Centla, Jalpa de Méndez, Comalcalco and Cárdenas with the Gulf of Mexico to the north.

It covers a territory of 577.55km2, the smallest in the state, and contains one city (the seat), one town, three villages, ten “colonias,” fourteen ejidos and 25 ranches.

[3] The municipality has a number of local publications including newspapers El Casabel, Horizontes Nacionales, Opinión and one magazine called La Edición.

[14] There is an intercity bus terminal and local public transport consisting of vans, small buses and taxis.

Its main economic activities are the growing of coconut, cacao and pepper along with the raising of pigs and domestic fowl.

Its main economic activities are the growing of coconut, cacao and pepper along with the raising of pigs and domestic fowl.