Heading South
Traveling to Chiapas: Natural treasures and exotic denizens in Mexico
I reached the top of the stone stairs and stood at the base of Yaxchilan's palace overlooking the rest of the ancient archeological site. Reaching Yaxchilan requires a 40-minute boat ride from Frontera Corazol down the Usumacinta River, which flows between Chiapas, Mexico and Guatamala.
Built sometime between 250 and 900 AD, the site is as impressive as any of its more famous contemporaries, yet my companions and I had it all to ourselves. I heard only the sound of the river, the crash of monkeys passing through the towering trees overhead, and the calls of birds.
I’m not even a birder, but found seeing the exotic denizens of Chiapas a thrill. And see them I did, thanks to guides who’ve lived here all their lives and recently received thorough training in guiding and English bird names.
The group I traveled here with came for the birds, and Chiapas did not disappoint. At Yaxchilan, I saw toucans, a royal flycatcher, rufous-tailed jacamar and a white-collared manakin. The last, which our guides spent a good 20 minutes coaxing into view, was a tiny bird with a bright yellow chest who clears a dance floor in the jungle and woos his intended with a hoppy little number accompanied by sounds like popcorn and two rocks striking together.
I’m not even a birder, but found seeing the exotic denizens of Chiapas a thrill. And see them I did, thanks to guides who’ve lived here all their lives and recently received thorough training in guiding and English bird names.
The training was organized by San Antonio attorney Brock Huffman who moved to San Cristobal a few years ago to improve his Spanish. An avid birder, Huffman was disappointed to learn that local guides weren’t available. “Local guides are key,” says Huffman. “They know where the birds are, and they know the local culture.”
He joined forces with the Travis Audubon Society, birding guide author Steve Howell, artist Sophie Howell and Mexican NGO ProNatura Sur to train local nature guides in the English names for birds and the art of helping clients spot them, at no cost. The American Birding Association’s Birder's Exchange provided binoculars and guide books, essential tools for any competent guide. The lives of those students, and by extension their communities, have changed as a result.
Thanks to the guides, along the jungle-lined Tzendalas River, I saw woodpeckers, toucans, parrots, hawks, kingfishers, cuckoos, orioles, trogons, hummingbirds and flycatchers — a veritable riot of colors, sounds and motion. In our eco-resort at Guacamayas, my jaw dropped as scarlet macaws flew over, squawking like mad — the last known wild flock in Mexico.
At Xbulanja, a nature preserve on the Rio Santo Domingo where you can camp and kayak, I saw tanagers, dove, antwrens, vireos, a little ball of fluff with a beak known almost poetically as a puffbird and a black-and-white striped mohawked fellow with a wild-eyed look called a barred antshrike. Dr Suess couldn’t make these creatures up. Together, our group tallied some 130 species in four days.
This wild and beautiful land offered up much beyond birds, too. In San Cristobal de las Casas, we stayed in a small boutique hotel, Casa Morada, just blocks from a sprawling market. Its wares ran the gamut from jewelry, leather goods, clothing and textiles (for which Chiapas is known) to fresh fruits and vegetables, llama hair and CDs all at great prices. We took a hike on a wooded slope in the Moxviquil Reserve and eyed dozens of species of rare orchids in a greenhouse on the grounds.
We enjoyed several Chiapean meals featuring pechuga, or chicken breast, delicious cheese and traditional juice drinks as well as posh, a strong liquor mixed with orange juice and coffee. Fresh papaya, mango and pineapple were served for breakfast. After our boat ride on the Tzendales, we relaxed over a traditional lunch of chicken soup and tortillas, made by hand the instant before we ate them, in the home of guide Celedonio Chan.
Even if you aren’t into birds, this place, the habitat for 50 percent of the birds in Mexico, may convert you. “Birding is an adventure,” Huffman says. “You never know what you’ll see or what will happen.” It doesn’t hurt that the activity generally takes place in wild and scenic places.
Austin-based JB Journeys is offering a nine-day Chiapas tour Nov. 17-25 that includes Palenque, Frontera Corazol, Guacamayas and San Cristobal. A guide from the Travis Audubon Society will lead the trip, along with local guides trained through Huffman’s program. This outfitter can also arrange individual trips, or if you’re feeling truly intrepid, you can go on your own.
Chiapas, perhaps best known for an uprising more than a decade ago, is today a quiet and safe corner of Mexico with a laid-back and authentic atmosphere where you’ll find few chain hotels and restaurants. There are direct flights from Texas to Tuxtla, about an hour from San Cristobal, or Villahermosa, a hour and a half from Palenque. Just hire the locals once you’re there.
