Explore San Cristóbal
Practical, locally researched guides for transport, arrivals, getting around and making the most of San Cristóbal de las Casas.
Culture & Local Life
Signed in San Andrés Larráinzar on February 16, 1996, the accords addressed Indigenous Rights and Culture but were not a final peace treaty; their implementation remains debated after the 2001 and 2024 reforms.
Culture & Local Life
Read Subcomandante Marcos as the EZLN’s best-known public spokesperson and political-military figure, not as the whole movement or an automatically current sole leader. Official Zapatista material uses Capitán Insurgente Marcos in 2026 and shows public activity, but his exact operational role is not documented precisely.
Culture & Local Life
Zapatista autonomy is de facto community self-government, not a separate sovereign state. The MAREZ/JBG model ended in 2023, the GAL-centered structure is still evolving, and there is no general visitor-access rule.
Culture & Local Life
Zapatista activity continues in 2026, but the old MAREZ/Juntas de Buen Gobierno model ended in 2023; current communications describe a changing GAL-based structure.
Culture & Local Life
Use “EZLN” for the political-military organization and “Zapatismo” for the broader movement and autonomous institutions. Indigenous identity does not automatically mean Zapatista affiliation.
Things to Do
San Cristóbal's street art is spread through living barrios. Start with the current Mirador El Cascajal project, then treat El Cerrillo and older projects as area leads rather than permanent routes.