Crossing The Chiapas Highlands

When one leaves the Yucatan and heads toward the Pacific coast, he will cross the Southern Chiapas Highlands in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas Mountains.  

         Surrounded by lush jungle vegetation, one soon comes to the waterfalls at Misol Ha.

These mountains are rugged, beautiful, and remote, with a few small villages and lots of colorful foot traffic along the way.

The roads are generally in good repair, but with no shoulders and often sharp drop offs and high jungle foliage right up to the road.

Signs on buildings and along the road remind one that this is rebel Zapatista Country.

 There were major uprisings here in 1994, when a number of people were killed.

Wood is the source of heating and cooking and in some areas is becoming scarce enough for women to often walk long distances to obtain it.

Women kneel on this cement to do their laundry in this creek.

We are crossing the Isthmus of Tehuantepec here near the Pacific Coast, not all that far from Guatamala.