In Tuxtla Gutiérrez there is always something worth celebrating. It boasts several very beautiful customs and traditions, and all year long there is some fiesta or carnival going on.

Religious festivals include those for the following saints: San Roque in August; the Niño de Atocha in January; San Felipe de Jesús and San José in February and March, respectively; and in October the feasts of the Señor del Calvario and San Martín de Porras.

There are festivities that bring together the inhabitants of Tuxtla Gutiérrez as well as the ethnic groups that live around the state capital: the celebration of the unification of Chiapas with the rest of Mexico on September 14; and in November and December the Chiapas Fair is held.

Well worth a mention is La Fiesta Grande de Chiapas (Great Festival of Chiapas), which in 2010 was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. It is celebrated in January in the municipality of Chiapa de Corzo and has its origin in colonial times.

The Spanish gave these celebrations the name “fiestas para el chico” (“fiestas for the boy”) which later became “Parachicos”, referring to the figures who form processions in the municipality of Chiapa de Corzo dancing and praising the following saints: San Antonio Abad, San Sebastián, Patronesdifuntos and the Señor de Esquipulas.

The “Parachicos” wear hand-carved wooden masks that resemble Spanish features, with wigs made from ixtle fiber and a black costume with colorful ribbons. The Parachicos are an essential element of Chiapas identity.