Plaza Cívica

Plaza Cívica is Tuxtla [1]’s large central square, bordered by busy streets on two sides and fronted by San Marcos cathedral [2] and various local, state, and federal government buildings. The broad stone-paved plaza has relatively few shade trees, and in that way is more like the zócalo in Mexico City than the shady central square in San Cristóbal [3]. (For that, head to Parque Marimba [4], nine blocks west of the center.)

The Plaza Cívica sometimes serves as a gathering place for protests and demonstrations, and the traffic is a constant reminder that you’re in a big city, but overall it’s a placid place, both day and night. There’s a tourist information kiosk on the plaza’s southwest corner.