ARRIAGA AND TONALÁ Visitor Guide

ARRIAGA , the first town on the Chiapas coast road, is a dusty, uninteresting place, but its location at the junction of Hwy-195 (the road over the mountains to Tuxtla) means you may have to change buses here. The Central de Autobuses , with plenty of first- and second-class connections, is just off the main road, six blocks from the zócalo. All southbound buses will also stop at Tonalá , a slightly better option if you have to spend the night.

Larger and marginally more inviting than Arriaga, TONALÁ is just a thirty-minute bus ride away down Hwy-200, which, as Av Hidalgo, forms the town’s main street. All the bus companies terminate along Hidalgo: the main first-class companies pull in about 1km west of the zócalo; second-class to the east.

Everything you need in Tonalá (including banks ) is either on the zócalo – Parque Esperanza – or within a couple of blocks of it. The central feature of the park is the Estela de Tlaloc , a large, standing stone carved by the Olmecs, depicting the rain god Tlaloc. If you’re stuck for something to do, you could always visit what’s termed the Museo Arqueológico (open until late evening: free) in the Casa de Cultura, on Hidalgo across from the Hotel Tonalá , though the Olmec and Maya exhibits here appear to have been abandoned.

Read more at the ARRIAGA AND TONALA Visitor Guide