Tapachula, Chiapas

Tapachula de Córdova y Ordóñez Tapachula
City & Municipality
Coat of arms
Nickname(s): Pearl of the Soconusco
The location of Tapachula municipality in Chiapas
Tapachula de Córdova y Ordóñez Location in Mexico
Coordinates: 14°54′N 92°16′W / 14.900°N 92.267°W / 14.900; -92.267Coordinates: 14°54′N 92°16′W / 14.900°N 92.267°W / 14.900; -92.267
Country	Mexico
State	Chiapas
Government
• Mayor	Neftali del Toro (PRI)
Area
• Total	117 sq mi (303 km2)
Elevation	581 ft (177 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	320,451
• Density	2,700/sq mi (1,100/km2)

Tapachula de Córdova y Ordóñez, simply known as Tapachula, is a city and municipality located in the far southwest 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 Mames as a region under the control of the Mame 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.

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.

...
Wikipedia