Landing at Angel Albino Corzo International Airport in Tuxtla Gutierrez puts you right in the middle of things, with places like Chiapa de Corzo, San Cristobal de las Casas, and the Sumidero Canyon all close by. Tuxtla Gutierrez is the busy, hot capital of Chiapas, a lowland city that most people use as the doorway to the state. It has its own pleasures though, from nightly marimba music to a fine regional zoo, and the great canyon sits right on its doorstep.

Standout experiences around Tuxtla Gutierrez: - Take a boat through the Sumidero Canyon beneath cliffs rising more than 3,000 feet - Look down into the canyon from the roadside miradores above the city - Dance to live marimba in the Parque de la Marimba in the evening - Visit ZooMAT, a zoo set in forest and devoted entirely to the wildlife of Chiapas - Climb the Cristo de Chiapas, a towering statue with views over the valley - Drink pozol, a cold cacao-and-corn drink, at a market stall - Eat tamales de chipilin and cochito, the local pork dish, in a traditional cocina - Visit the colonial fountain of La Pila in Chiapa de Corzo

Chiapa de Corzo is about 20 minutes from Tuxtla Gutierrez and comes alive each January for the Fiesta Grande, when the masked Parachicos dance through the streets in a celebration recognized by UNESCO. San Cristobal de las Casas, cool and colonial in the highlands, is about an hour up the mountain, and the waterfalls of El Chiflon are a longer day trip to the south. Chiapas coffee is some of the best in Mexico, and a cup on a warm evening in the park with the marimbas playing is the city at its finest.