page_title: San Cristóbal de las Casas
section_title: Economy and tourism
hierarchical_section_title: San Cristóbal de las Casas / Economy and tourism
caption_attribution_description: English: Inside the Rosalia textile and crafts store in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico
context_page_description: San Cristóbal de las Casas, also known by its native Tzotzil name, Jovel, is a town and municipality located in the Central Highlands region of the Mexican state of Chiapas. It was the capital of the state until 1892, and is still considered the cultural capital of Chiapas.
  The municipality is mostly made up of mountainous terrain, but the city sits in a small valley surrounded by hills. 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. Most of the city’s economy is based on commerce, services and tourism.
  Tourism is based on the city’s history, culture and indigenous population, although the tourism itself has affected the city, giving it foreign elements. 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. The municipality has suffered severe deforestation, but it has natural attractions such as caves and rivers.
context_section_description: San Cristóbal has the second-lowest rate of economic marginalization in the state of Chiapas following Tuxtla Gutiérrez. Only 4.5% of workers do not receive a salary or a regular income. Approximately 9% are employed in agriculture, compared to 54.86% regionally and 47.25% in the state. 21% are employed in construction, energy and transportation. The most important sector by economic output is mining. About 600 truckloads of jade, gravel, stone and metals are exported from San Cristóbal daily. Most of the material is destined to other municipalities in the region, although some goes to other cities in Chiapas and to states such as Tabasco and Campeche. 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 most important economic sector is commerce, services and tourism, which employs almost 67% of the workforce compared to 29% for the region and 37% for the state. The city has become a renowned tourist location for its preserved colonial architecture and retention of indigenous culture and traditions. Many residents of the city wear indigenous clothing regularly. Market vendors in the city are known for being very aggressive when trying to secure a sale.
  The municipality contains over 80 hotels with more than 2,000 rooms. The city government serves tourists through traditional information booths with guided tours and also offers “I-Pod tours” where tourists may rent an iPod which uses a GPS system to identify where any given tourist is and provide them with information regarding their surroundings. These tours allow visitors to roam the city and listen/read about the areas in which they are located.
  Since the Zapatista uprising in 1994, the city has developed a type of cult tourism focusing around the EZLN. This tourism attracts those interested in both leftist political beliefs and indigenous activism who come to see where the events of the 1990s happened as well as what is going on now. This tourism has spurred the creation of Zapatista-themed shops which sell EZLN shirts and other souvenirs. This tourism has been given the name of “Zapaturismo” or “Zapatourism”. The term originally was derogatory and referred to the large number of leftist activists which converged on the city after the EZLN uprising began. Since then, the term receives mixed reviews with some finding humor in it.
  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. There is a large tianguis or open air market at Santo Domingo which specializes in selling these locally produced products.
  There has been a recent problem with fake amber being sold on the street, either made of plastic or glass. True Chiapas amber is extracted from the town of Simojovel to the north. There is a great price difference between the real and fake amber, and this price difference can be enough to put authentic amber vendors out of business. Many of the sellers of fake amber are successful because many people, especially foreign tourists, do not know how to determine what is real. However, one indicator is price, as true amber cannot be sold for the very low prices that street vendors offer.
caption: Inside the Rosalia Store in the city
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