The city’s center maintains its Spanish colonial layout and much of its architecture, with red tile roofs, cobblestone streets and wrought iron balconies often with flowers.

Major landmarks of the city include the cathedral, the Santo Domingo church with its large open air crafts market and the Casa Na Bolom museum.

[2] The city, especially the historic center, has maintained its Spanish colonial layout, with narrow cobblestone streets, roofs covered in red clay tile and wrought iron balconies with flowers.

Many of the surrounding hills have lost their native trees, in part due to cutting firewood and logging operations which feed the local manufacturing and construction industries.

On the days that it is open, the large building, which mostly houses traditional butcher shops, is surrounded by stalls which crowd the nearby streets.

[7] The city’s attraction for tourists has also led to a number making San Cristobal their permanent home, which has had an effect of the local culture, especially in the historic center.

They finally come to rest in a gigantic open house where an inner shrine has been erected lit by thousands of candles, and where a large potluck supper takes place.

Passion plays depicting the crucifixion of Jesus are common events with one large one centered in the open plaza behind the municipal palace.

[7] The Festival Cervantino Barroco is held each year in the historic center featuring invited artists from various parts of Mexico and abroad.

[5] When Chiapas became a diocese in the 17th century, with San Cristóbal as its seat, this church was torn down to build the current structure, dedicated to Saint Christopher, the patron of the city.

[3][7] It is common to see older indigenous women in the cathedral, with some even traversing the entire nave on their knees to approach the large image of Jesus handing above the Baroque altar.

The roof is pitched and pyramid shaped built with wood and tile, and its facade is made of stone and brick with little ornamentation.

[2][5] The city hall, often called the Palacio de Gobierno, is a Neoclassical construction which was built in the 19th century by architect Carlos Z. Flores.

[5][7] In front of the city hall at night, young men and women promenade past each other in opposite directions around the gazebo.

[2] It is one of the most ornate structures in Latin America, both due to the stucco work on the main facade and the gilded altarpieces which completely cover the length on the church’s interior.

[7] The facade of the main church is Baroque with Salomonic columns heavily decorated in stucco forms to mimic an altarpiece.

The couple spent over fifty years in Chiapas collecting tools, crafts, archeological pieces and clothing, especially related to the Lacandon Jungle and people.

[2][7] The oldest part of the structure is an arch and columns located in the interior of the sacristy, which is decorated in stucco of various colors with floral and vegetative motifs.

After defeating the Zoques in the Northern Mountains and the Chiapans of this area, Diego de Mazariegos founded the city as a military fort.

During this decade, the Mexican federal government adopted neoliberalism, which clashed with the leftist political ideas of liberation theology and many of the indigenous activist groups.

[13] Despite the activism, economic marginalization among indigenous groups remained high, with resentment strongest in the San Cristóbal region and in migrant communities living in the Lacandon Jungle.

The grievances of these activists would be taken up by a small guerrilla band led by a man called only “Subcomandante Marcos.”[15] His small band, called the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional, EZLN), came to the world’s attention when on January 1, 1994, the day the NAFTA treaty went into effect.

They read their proclamation of revolt to the world and then laid siege to a nearby military base, capturing weapons and releasing many prisoners from the jails.

By the time he died in 2011, Ruiz was locally given the name of “Tatic”, which means “father” in Tzotzil, and received numerous distinctions including the Simón Bolívar Prize from UNESCO and the International Human Rights Award in Nuremberg.

[4][18] The deforestation has led to erosion problems blocking rivers and streams and affecting underground recharge of the area's freshwater springs.

It supports populations of fish, amphibians, and resident and migratory birds, and helps reduce flood risk and recharge drinking water aquifers for the city.

[23] San Cristóbal de las Casas has a mild subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb) moderated by its altitude.

This heavy strip mining has gradually eaten away at the natural landscape of some areas and has negatively affected the recharge of surface and subsurface water.

The term originally was derogatory and referred to the large number of leftist activists which converged on the city after the EZLN uprising began.

[9] The most important manufactured goods produced in the city are jade, textiles and amber, although others such as ceramics, metal works, carved wood products, clothing and filigree jewelry can be found as well.