From Tuxtla Gutiérrez, the capital of the Mexican state of Chiapas, travelers often buzz. They barely step on it to change buses, eager as they are to reach colonial San Cristóbal de las Casas. It is understandable, the mythical villa of the Zapatista army and the magnetic Subcomandante Marcos is an architectural and sensitive delight.
Those who have the sense, however, to stop in the capital will have a terrifying time. Curiosity stings curious place-name seekers: Why does a city have the last name Gutiérrez? The original Zoque people named it Coyatoc, referring to the abundance of rabbits in the place. Later, the Mexicas noticed the same phenomenon, and the initial Tochtlán ended up in Tuxtla. The Gutiérrez thing was added in 1848 to honor a general.
But one does not stop at Tuxtla Gutiérrez just because of the curious name. You can do it attracted by the classification that it obtained at the beginning of the 20th century as one of the ten best cities to live in Mexico or by its reputation for being clean and tidy. The truth is that it is articulated in a grid that is very reminiscent of Barcelona’s Eixample, which makes it easily navigable, especially considering that it is not a large metropolis. About 600,000 people live there.
Tuxtla has something that makes it unique: its popular dance at sunset. Without a prior call –people already know that the event takes place daily–, people of all ages, social classes and physical condition head slowly (the city’s heat is suffocating, movements must be managed) towards the square nestled between the Central Poniente Avenue and 8th and 9th East North streets. There is a classic white painted wrought iron bandstand with a sage green roof. Only six steps up, amateur musicians swirl around marimbas and make people dance.
Between six in the afternoon and nine at night, every day seems like a patron saint festival in that so-called Marimba garden. There are followers who go in their best clothes – men and women dressed as if they were going to their children’s wedding – and others more informal, with tracksuits and even flip-flops. But all of them move to the sound of the happy marimbas that are played tirelessly. There are festive lights and snack carts that add even more atmosphere to the event.
There is no organization per se. It’s something that everyone knows happens and you just have to remember the dance steps. The rest is intrinsic to the city.
In an inconspicuous corner of the plaza is a modest but comprehensive museum dedicated to that xylophone-like musical instrument popular in other parts of Central and South America. Old and modern marimbas are exhibited, on the walls there are photographs of famous musicians and even a very instructive section on the most suitable woods to build the melodic artifact.
Music plays in the square until dark, and when nine o’clock is played in a nearby bell tower, the orchestras attack their latest theme. The audience then disperses like ants before a downpour.
In addition to the evening dance, Tuxtla offers an interesting museum dedicated to coffee that is publicly owned and located in a charming location, where you can learn everything about the cultivation and production process and taste the brew in a space with tables and chairs where the aroma of the berry fills everything. There is also a small store that advises on what to buy, although the truth is that Tuxtla Gutiérrez is full of absolutely solvent stores where they sell coffee and cocoa from all over Mexico and other parts of America.
Close to the city is the Sumidero canyon, which despite its unappealing name is a spectacular gorge of the Grijalva River. It can be visited by walking from viewpoint to viewpoint or aboard boats that navigate it, approaching the subtropical forest. Buses to the canyon leave from the Jardín de la Marimba daily.
Tuxtla Gutiérrez is 60 kilometers from San Cristóbal de las Casas and 550 from Oaxaca de Juárez.
