Tapachula de Córdova y Ordóñez, simply known as Tapachula, is a city and municipality located in the far southeast of the state of Chiapas in Mexico, near the Guatemalan border and the Pacific Ocean. It is one of the most important cities of Chiapas economically as the capital of the agriculturally rich Soconusco region as well as 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 agricultural production began a history of migration into the area which continues to this day and has left the city with a significant Asian and German cultural presence as well as large Mayan and Nahua indigenous populations.
Background
The city of Tapachula is capital of the Chiapas region of Soconusco with the nickname of the “pearl of the Soconusco”. The name “Tapachula” comes from Nahuatl and means “between the waters” due to the area's frequent flooding. It is located on a low-lying coastal plain with various small rivers about 120 meters above sea level.
Tapachula is Mexico's main border city with Guatemala on the Pacific coast area even though it is located some kilometers away from the border proper. The main commercial border crossing is in Ciudad Hidalgo about forty kilometers away. Nonetheless it is the principal port for the crossing of goods and people between Mexico and Central America, making it economically and socially similar to cities on the US southern border such as Laredo, Texas. The flow of goods through the area as well as being the economic center of the rich agricultural region of the Soconusco, makes Tapachula one of the most important economically for Chiapas with one of the highest per capita incomes in the state. As its wealth is relatively recent, since the late 19th century, Tapachula is mostly a modern city. Like border cities in the United States, Tapachula and other communities in the area have problems with illegal immigration, drug traffic and violence, with most of the illegal border crossers coming from Central America. This has led to a strong and very visible police presence in the city along with special security measures for major events such as the Feria Internacional Tapachula.
The city has had a strong Chinese presence since around 1900, when a number of people from China came to work in the coffee plantations 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. The most visible evidence of Asian presence is the significant number of Chinese and other Asian restaurants in the city, especially in the downtown. A number of businesses selling Chinese food and imported items are concentrated in the San Juan market. The Casa de la Comunidad China (Chinese Community House) is located Cuarta Avenida Sur. The structure is dedicated to education about Chinese culture and was reopened in 2012 after renovations. 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. Outside the city downtown, the structures just about all date from the latter 20th century on due to recent growth. The historic center is marked by a large, tree-lined plaza called Parque Miguel Hidalgo. The center of this plaza contains an octagon kiosk with Baroque ironwork with some Moorish influence. Parque Miguel Hidalgo is the center of the city surrounded by the old and new municipal palaces, the Perez Porta and the Teatro al Aire Libre (Open Air Theater), which often has marimba concerts. The main monumental buildings of the area surround this plaza and include the old and new municipal palaces, the Perez Portal and the Teatro al Aire Libre (Open Air Theater).