At just an hour an a half from Mexico’s southern border, most travelers zip around Comitan on the Interamericana highway to and from Guatemala. The outskirts of Comitan are admittedly un-lovely, and replete with fast food joints and buzzing traffic jams. However for those few intrepid souls who decide to stop over, the Bougainvillea road to the center leads to a pleasant surprise.

Comitan has just over 85,000 inhabitants, a figure that belies its slow pace of life. Originally known as Balún Canán (Nine Stars) to the local Mayan people, the town’s name was changed to Comitán de Dominguez in 1915 after local hero Belisario de Dominguez (who famously criticized dictator Victoriana Huerta in Congress and got a bullet in the head for his troubles). The nine stars legacy lives on in modern Comitán, which is divided into nine neighborhoods.

Although comparatively few gringos make it here compared with tourist-saturated San Cristobal de las Casas, Comitan has always been a popular option for Mexican tourists. As such, it is a pleasant, prosperous place with all the clean, colonial cobbled streets Mexicophiles could wish for. Tourism infrastructure has seen a large injection of government cash in the last few years. Whether you want to relax and admire the quaint colonial houses, potter around a museum or use the town as a base to explore surrounding beauty spots, all your needs are catered for. Nightlife here isn’t exactly rocking, but a few good restaurants and cultural performances often take place in the shady Zócalo in the evenings.

Local people are far less accustomed to foreign tourists than elsewhere in Chiapas and are extremely friendly and curious about why you’re in their town. You might get lucky and befriend a knowledgeable local guide to escort you around Comitan’s main attractions. These include the gorgeous colonial neighborhood of San Caralampio, just three blocks northwest of the main plaza, the Casa Museo Belisario Dominguez, and the Centro Cultural Rosario Castellanos.

Tour operators offer trips to some of the nearby natural attractions for which Chiapas is famous nationwide, although independent travel there is also perfectly viable. El Chiflón waterfall, Tenam Puente, el Museo Parador de Santa María and the archaeological site of Chinkultic will keep you busy about for three days at least.