Tapachula

The city of Tapachula is the capital of the Soconusco region of Chiapas, commonly called the "pearl of the Soconusco". The name "Tapachula" comes from Nahuatl and means "between the waters", due to the area's frequent flooding. Tapachula is Mexico's main border city with Guatemala in the Pacific coast region, even though it is located some kilometers away from the border itself. The main commercial border crossing is in Ciudad Hidalgo, about 40 km (24 mi) away. Nonetheless, it is the principal port for the shipment of goods and for people traveling between Mexico and the rest of Central America further south, making it economically and socially similar to cities on the US southern border such as Laredo, Texas or San Diego, California. in Tapachula, Chiapas The city has had a strong Chinese presence since around 1900, when a number of people from the country came to Mexico to work for the coffee businesses of the area. Most of the descendants of these first immigrants have since dispersed throughout the Soconusco region, but there is still Asian immigration to Tapachula to this day. Most modern immigrants work in commerce rather than in agriculture or hard labor. The most visible evidence of Asian presence is the significant number of Chinese and other Asian restaurants in the city, especially in the downtown. Tapachula signed a sister city agreement with Dongying, China in 2011. Most of the city's monumental structures in the historic center were built in the first decades of the 20th century, although there are a number of significant large homes near this same area built in the 1960s in Art Deco style such as the La Portaviandas building. The Soconusco Archeological Museum faces Parque Hidalgo. This building houses a number of pieces from the various archeological sites of the region, especially Izapa and several coastal sites. One special piece is a skull covered in gold and incrusted with turquoise. Another is a stele called Number 25, because of the quality of its engravings. The Casa de Cultura was built in 1929 as the municipal palace when the city was prosperous because of the surrounding coffee plantations. Although the style is Art Deco, the facade is decorated with Oaxacan style fretwork, images of Aztec warriors and stylized serpents along with the Mexican and state coats of arms. Today, the building functions as a cultural center for the city. The municipal cemetery is notable as a testament to the immigrant past of the area, with gravestones with German names and Chinese characters. The best examples of both date from the late 19th to early 20th century. One of Tapachula's most famous natives is the actress and singer Bibi Gaytan, who first achieved stardom in the 1990s. ==Demographics==

The city of Tapachula is the governmental authority for a number of other communities which cover a combined area of 303 km2. It borders the municipalities of Motozintla, Cacahoatán, Tuxtla Chico, Frontera Hidalgo, Suchiate, Tuzantán, Huehuetán and Mazatán with the Pacific on the south and Guatemala to the northwest. As of 2010, the municipality had a total population of 320,451. The municipality had 574 localities, the largest of which (with 2010 populations in parentheses) were: Tapachula (Tapachula de Córdova y Ordóñez) (202,672), Puerto Madero (San Benito) (9,557), Vida Mejor I (6,460), Álvaro Obregón (5,717), Los Cafetales (3,054), Raymundo Enríquez (3,049), Carrillo Puerto (2,676), classified as urban, and Veinte de Noviembre (2,184), El Encanto (1,726), José María Morelos (1,717), Viva México (1,691), Llano de la Lima (1,579), Nuevo Pumpuapa (Cereso) (1,431), Cebadilla 1ra. Sección (1,384), Los Palacios (1,217), Congregación Reforma (1,132), Octavio Paz (1,124), Acaxman (1,099), San Nicolás Lagartero (1,071), Tinajas 1ra. Sección (1,055), Cantón Villaflor (1,046), Pavencul (1,039), and Cebadilla 2da. Sección (1,000), classified as rural. The cuisine of the municipality varies greatly as the topography extends from the ocean into the mountains. Main annual events include Chinese New Year, San Benito, the Feria Tapachula, San Agustín, Jesús de la Buena Esperanza and San Miguel. The population of the municipality represents about forty percent of the entire population of the Socunusco region. Over sixty percent of the population is under the age of thirty and the average age is twenty two years. The average rate of population growth is just over two percent, about on par with that of the state. Population density is only 3.17 people per square kilometer, far under the 52 per square km for the state. Because of its proximity to neighboring Guatemala, the Tapachula area has absorbed a number of ethnicities from this country but the main indigenous group remains the Mam. About sixty three percent of the municipality's population is Catholic with about 19 percent professing some other type of Christianity. Most of the rest state that they have no faith. This is about average for the state. Of those over age fifteen, about twenty percent have not finished primary school, about sixteen percent have only a primary school education, with about 49% with some level higher than this. As of 2000, the municipality had an illiteracy rate of 12.36%, down from 16.32% in 1990. There are 578.84 kilometers of highway most of which are rural roads maintained by state and federal authorities. The main highway in the area is Federal Highway 200 which follows the coastline of Chiapas. ==History==

girls. The Mam are one of the largest ethnic groups of the city and are the original inhabitants of the city, which was previously a territory subservient to the Mam Kingdom of Xelaju. The name comes from the Nahuatl phrase "Tapachollan" which means "between the waters". The official name of the city was changed to "Tapachula de Córdova y Ordóñez" in 1997 in honor to priest Fray Matías de Córdova y Ordóñez. The first people to settle in the area migrated from the south in Central America and most likely are the ancestors of today's Mam people. The Olmecs dominated the area, driving many Mam to migrate back south. The Toltecs arrived next but never completely subjugated the native peoples. However, these conquests resulted in the Mam never developing major civilization. The city of Tapachula was founded as a tribute collection center for the Aztecs in 1486 by a military leader named Tiltototl, sent by Ahuitzotl to conquer the Soconusco. In 1809, shortly before the start of the Mexican War of Independence, Tapachula protested the high rate of taxation to Spanish authorities to no avail. In September 2019, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Chiapas unveiled a monument in a ceremony to commemorate the Bible at Los Cerritos Park. Dozens of local government officials, religious leaders, and church members attended the ceremony. The project and the monument were applauded as a community achievement and a historical moment that marks religious freedom. The intent of the project by the church was to recognize the Bible as the guide to the society and to bring awareness to the public in the reading of the Scriptures. The monument was the eighth memorial built by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Chiapas. Monuments were previously unveiled since 2018 in the following cities: Palenque, Hiuxtla, Malpaso, Pichucalco, Cintalapa, and Usumacinta. Since Tapachula is a major border crossing between Mexico and Guatemala, it contains a substantial population of undocumented migrants from the Northern Triangle of Central America who are fleeing violence or unemployment in their home countries. The presence of this vulnerable population has made Tapachula a hub of human trafficking, both sex trafficking and labor trafficking. The city has been described as an open-air prison for thousands trying to reach the United States. ==Sports==

From 2015, the Cafetaleros de Tapachula have represented the city in the Ascenso MX, the second division of Mexican football. ==Geography==

The municipality stretches over a section of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas and west onto the coastal plain to the Pacific with an average altitude of above sea level. ==Economy==

from Tapachula on display in INAH Regional Museum in Tuxtla Gutierrez The municipality is considered to have a medium level of socioeconomic marginalization. As of 2000, there were 61,444 residences, of which over 72% were the property of the residents. The average household size was 4.36 inhabitants. About one quarter of the homes have dirt floors, thirteen percent have wood floors and about sixty two with cement or stone floors. Walls generally consist of cement block with about fourteen percent having wood walls. About sixty percent of the roofs are made with metal/asbestos laminate. About eighteen percent of the working population works in agriculture and livestock. About twenty three percent of these workers are not paid a salary. About sixteen and a half percent work in mining and manufacturing. About 63% of the municipality's workforce is in commerce and services, well above the averages for the region and the state. ==Government==

Municipal presidents ==See also==