THE HIGHLANDS OF CHIAPAS Chiapas, Mexico's southernmost state... beautiful... remote... mysterious... a world where the culture of the ancient Mayas still lives. But it is also one of Mexico's poorest states. Here the Mayas have been oppressed since the Spanish conquest. In 1994, just six months after my visit, the state was engulfed by the Zapatista rebellion, an armed struggle to protect the rights of the indigenous population. At this time there is an uneasy peace between the government and the rebels.

Before the Pan-American Highway climbs into the highlands of Chiapas, it crosses the Grijalva River. From the town of Chiapa de Corzo one can take boat excursions down the river.
 

The river passes through the Sumidero Canyon, one of Mexico's natural wonders. The canyon walls rise more than a half mile on either side of the river.
 

After the Pan-American Highway climbs higher and higher into the highlands, it descends slightly into the Jovel Valley to the picturesque city of San Cristobal de las Casas.
 

San Cristobal de las Casas, with a population of 50,000, is the major city of the Chiapas highlands.
 

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