Tapachula de Córdova y Ordóñez, simply known as Tapachula, is a city and municipality located in the far southeast of the state of Chiapas, Mexico, near the Guatemalan border and the Pacific Ocean. Economically, it is one of the most important cities in Chiapas; as capital of the agriculturally-rich Soconusco region, Tapachula also serves as a key port for trade between Mexico and Central America. The area was originally inhabited by the Mam, as a region under the control of the Mam state of Xelaju, but was first established as a city by the Aztecs in the 13th century. Most of its economic importance has come since the late 19th century, with the establishment of coffee plantations. This practice initiated a steady stream of migration and immigration into the area, which continues to this day, and has left the city with a significant Asian and German cultural presence. There is a large Mayan and Nahua population.
Background
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.
thumb|left|City's Old City Hall building in the main plaza
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.
thumb|right|250px|Monument with painted [[gourds 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.
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.
thumb|German Finca in Santo Domingo, near Tapachula
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
thumb|left|250px|Beach at [[Port Chiapas|Puerto Chiapas]]
thumb|[[Tacaná Volcano]]
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
thumb|left|upright|[[Sugar cane mill 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
{|class="wikitable"
! Municipal president
!width=90px|Term
!width=120x|Political party
!width=190px|Notes
|- style="background:#ffffff"
|Arturo Gutiérrez Palacios
|1915
|
|
|- style="background:#ffffff"
|Pedro F. Álvarez
|1916–1917
|
|
|- style="background:#ffffff"
|Isaac Córdova
|1918
|
|
|- style="background:#ffffff"
|Rafael García
|1919–1920
|
|
|- style="background:#ffffff"
|Bernardo Parlange
|1921
|
|
|- style="background:#ffffff"
|José Domingo Pérez
|1922
|
|
|- style="background:#ffffff"
|Rafael Ortega
|1923
|
|
|- style="background:#ffffff"
|Pascual Córdova
|1924
|
|
|- style="background:#ffffff"
|Isabel Nolasco
|1925
|
|
|- style="background:#ffffff"
|Humberto Elorza
|1926–1927
|
|
|- style="background:#ffffff"
|Enrique Rodas
|1927–1928
|
|
|- style="background:#ffffff"
|Enrique Elorza
|1929
|
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Glustein Cruz
|1930
|PNR 22px|link=Partido Nacional Revolucionario
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Bibiano Cruz
|1931–1932
|PNR 22px|link=Partido Nacional Revolucionario
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Sóstenes Ruiz Córdova
|1933–1934
|PNR 22px|link=Partido Nacional Revolucionario
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Juan Maldonado
|1935–1936
|PNR 22px|link=Partido Nacional Revolucionario
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Virgilio López Villers
|1937–1938
|PNR 22px|link=Partido Nacional Revolucionario
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Efraín Lazos
|1939–1940
|PRM 22px|link=Partido de la Revolución Mexicana
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Agustín Fuentevilla
|1941–1942
|PRM 22px|link=Partido de la Revolución Mexicana
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Belisario Villa Constantino
|1943–1944
|PRM 22px|link=Partido de la Revolución Mexicana
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Romeo Gout
|1945–1946
|PRM 22px|link=Partido de la Revolución Mexicana
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Luis Guízar Oceguera,<br /> Carlos Elorza,<br /> Pascual Lozano Montes
|1947–1948
|PRI 21px|link=Institutional Revolutionary Party
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Alfredo de Larbre S.
|1949–1950
|PRI 21px|link=Institutional Revolutionary Party
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Gamaliel Becerra Ochoa
|1951–1952
|PRI 21px|link=Institutional Revolutionary Party
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Rolando Gutiérrez Domínguez
|1953–1955
|PRI 21px|link=Institutional Revolutionary Party
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Herman Tovar Corzo
|1956–1958
|PRI 21px|link=Institutional Revolutionary Party
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Rafael Vilches Morga
|1959–1961
|PRI 21px|link=Institutional Revolutionary Party
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Ezzio del Pino Trujillo
|1962–1964
|PRI 21px|link=Institutional Revolutionary Party
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Jesús Calcáneo Beltrán
|1965–1967
|PRI 21px|link=Institutional Revolutionary Party
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Francisco Ramos Bejarano
|1968–1970
|PRI 21px|link=Institutional Revolutionary Party
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Alfonso Díaz Bullard
|1971–1973
|PRI 21px|link=Institutional Revolutionary Party
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Fernando Acosta Ruiz
|1974–1976
|PRI 21px|link=Institutional Revolutionary Party
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Antonio Melgar Aranda,<br /> Roberto Moscoso Domínguez
|1977–1979
|PRI 21px|link=Institutional Revolutionary Party
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Jorge Águeda S.,<br /> Antonio Cueto,<br /> Alfredo Cerdio Sánchez
|1980–1982
|PRI 21px|link=Institutional Revolutionary Party
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Joaquín del Pino Trujillo
|1983–1985
|PRI 21px|link=Institutional Revolutionary Party
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Didier Cruz Fuentevilla
|1986–1988
|PRI 21px|link=Institutional Revolutionary Party
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Jaime Altamirano Ríos,<br /> José Antonio Aguilar,<br /> José Ruperto de la Cruz
|1989–1991
|PRI 21px|link=Institutional Revolutionary Party
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Norberto Antonio de Gives Córdova
|1992–1995
|PRI 21px|link=Institutional Revolutionary Party
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Luis Aguilar Cueto,<br /> Adolfo Zamora Cruz
|1996–1998
|PRI 21px|link=Institutional Revolutionary Party
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Antonio de Jesús Díaz Athié
|1999–2001
|PRI 21px|link=Institutional Revolutionary Party
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Manuel de Jesús Pano Becerra
|01-01-2002–31-12-2004
|PRI 21px|link=Institutional Revolutionary Party
|
|- style="background:#ddeef6"
|Ángel Barrios Zea
|01-01-2005–31-12-2007
|PAN 22px<br> PRD 20px<br> PT 20px
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Ezequiel Saúl Orduña Morgan
|01-01-2008–31-12-2010
|PRI 21px|link=Institutional Revolutionary Party
|
|- style="background:#fff6d0"
|Emanuel Nivon González
|01-01-2011–2012
|PRD 20px<br> PAN 22px<br> Convergence 20px<br> Panal 20px<br> Unity for Chiapas
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Samuel Alexis Chacón Morález
|2012–2015
|PRI 21px|link=Institutional Revolutionary Party
|
|- style="background:#ffe1e1"
|Neftalí del Toro Guzmán
|2015–2018
|PRI 22px<br> PVEM 21px<br> Panal 20px
|
|- style="background:#ff4c4c"
|Óscar Gurría Penagos
|01-10-2018-20-02-2020
|PT 20px<br> Morena 20px|link=Morena (political party)<br> PES 22px
|Coalition "Together We Will Make History". Died in office
|- style="background:#ff4c4c"
|Rosa Irene Urbina Castañeda
|01-03-2020–10-03-2021
|PT 20px<br> Morena 20px|link=Morena (political party)<br> PES 22px
|Coalition "Together We Will Make History". Substitute. She applied for a temporary leave
|- style="background:#ff4c4c"
|José Alberto de Sancristóbal Morales
|11-03-2021–10-06-2021
|PT 20px<br> Morena 20px|link=Morena (political party)<br> PES 22px
|Coalition "Together We Will Make History". Acting municipal president
|- style="background:#ff4c4c"
|Rosa Irene Urbina Castañeda
|11-06-2021–30-09-2021
|PT 20px<br> Morena 20px|link=Morena (political party)<br> PES 22px
|Coalition "Together We Will Make History". Resumed, to finish the term
|- style="background:#f08080;"
|Rosa Irene Urbina Castañeda
|01-10-2021–30-09-2024
|Morena 20px|link=Morena (partido político)<br>
|
|- style="background:#f08080;"
|Aarón Yamil Melgar Bravo
|01-10-2024–
|Morena 20px|link=Morena (partido político)
|
|}
See also
- Guatemala–Mexico border
Notes
References
External links
- Ayuntamiento de Tapachula Official website