Climbing Near Yasha, Chiapas

The Arcotete is a 30 meter high rock arch located in the east of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas. You can climb all year round and the conditions are always perfect, no matter if there is sun or rain. The Arch protects almost all the routes. From August to October the river gets a little higher, but this just affects a couple of the 40 routes. A trip to the Arcotete is definitely worth it, you can find routes for everybody. Easy warm-up routes and one of the hardest lines of Chiapas!This is a fairly unknown spot so there are few climbers. The rock is similar to the crags in Thailand, Kalymnos or La Chonta. That means, stalactites, stalacnites, tufas, holes - perfect limestone! Three dimensional climbing! On some routes you have to be very careful, because you can't grab all the stalactites. Some of them will definitely break, so climb consciously! The stalactites are part of the beauty of the arch and we have to protect them.So far, you have to pay an entrance of 60 pesos for climbing (Status as of 2021). But we're already negotiating a better price with the owners.For more information check also thecrag.com/climbing/mexico… or ask the local route setters https://www.facebook.com/Vertigorockclimbing.HistoryThe Arcotete has a long history. They say, the old mayas already used it for their ceremonies and as a place to do offerings to their gods. Later on, at the time when San Cristóbal de las Casas was built, they tell the legend from a Frenchmen called Jean Francois d'Arcotete. He gave the name to the arch, which we use until today. Because of the loss of his wife, he took his life inside the arch. According to the locals, you can still here Jean weeping, in some of the cold nights in february.Today, the Arcotete is an ecoturistic park inside the terrain of a local tsotsil comunity. The first climbing routes where established by Grupo Escala Chiapas. From 2003 to 2011 the group equiped 7 routes in the area. Years later in 2017, Sofia Tapia Garcia and Martin Siller explored the huge potencial of the arch and started equiping more than 30 routes. With the help from their friends Jose Carlos Ramos, Lucas Warmington, Ulises Guerrero, Carsten Thess and Ernesto Hernandez they changed the place within a year into a nice little climbing crag. There are three ways to get to the arch: Taxi: for about 60 to 100 pesos you can hire a ride directly to the arch (the price varies depending on your knowledge of the language, negotiating skills, etc). Colectivo: you can get a colectivo direct at the market "Tielmanns." They charge 14 pesos to bring you almost to the arch. And you just have a 10 minute walk to get the rest of the way there. Walking: if you're feeling more adventurous you can follow the right side of the river to the area. Start your journey in "las Canastas." It will take around 1.5 hours and you should bring a machete with you.

Spanish:La Escalada en Roca en Chiapas se reparte alrededor de dos sitios, San Cristóbal de las Casas y Tuxtla Gutierrez.San Cristóbal de las CasasEl pueblo mágico de San Cristobal de las Casas se encuentra a una altura de 2100 m.s.n.m. en los Altos de Chiapas, rodeado de pinos y encinos. Es el destino principal del turismo en el estado y conocido por su arquitectura colonial y el movimiento de los Zapatistas. Los nativos de aquí son los Tzotziles y son famosos por su artesanía y sus tejidos.El tipo de roca es caliza en varias diferentes formas. En “El Arcotete” por ejemplo, te encuentras con escalada en estalactitas, parecido a lugares como Tailandia, Kalymnos o la Cueva de la Chonta en el estado de Guerrero. Agarres grandes, rutas largas, muy desplomadas de mucha resistencia y techos. Por otro lado, en la zona del “Cerro de Don Lauro” dominan rutas de placas muy técnicas con agarres pequeños. En muchos partes de la roca puedes encontrar fósiles de animales del tiempo, donde el cerro estaba todavía bajo el agua.El clima es muy agradable con una temperatura promedia de 19 grados. De noviembre a mayo es la temporada seca y el mejor tiempo para escalar. En los meses de junio a octubre puede llover fuerte y a veces solo se puede escalar en sitios que son protegidos de la lluvia como "El Arcotete". En esa temporada es recomendable que comienzas temprano a las 8 o 9 de la mañana, ya que mayormente llueve en la tarde, alrededor de las 2pm y tarda hasta la noche. Lo bueno es, que la roca se seca muy rápido. Pocas horas después de la lluvia, esta casi todo seco otra vez.Tuxtla GutiérrezLa ciudad de Tuxtla Gutiérrez es la capital del estado de Chiapas y el hogar de los Zoques. Su nombre viene de la palabra "tōchtli", que significa "conejo" en la idioma náhuatl. En su extremo oriente colinda con el pueblo histórico de Chiapa de Corzo, lo cual es la entrada al Cañón del Sumidero. A sus faldas se solean los cocodrilos, junto a cientos de turistas, que diariamente visitan este lugar impresionante.En el calor de la ciudad de los conejos no debe faltar un Pozol, la bebida ancestral de la región. Es una mezcla energética de cacao y maíz que también se toma en el estado de Tabasco. A pesar de que la ciudad está bastante agitada, se pueden escuchar todavía a veces los cantos de las cotorras o el tecleo de una marimba entre el ruido del tráfico.La escalada a su alrededor es magnífico.El tipo de piedra es caliza, que se presenta en sus formas más alegres, como por ejemplo en tufas, hoyos, slopers, estalactitas y chorreras. La roca es casi siempre de muy buena calidad y es bastante similar a zonas conocidas como Arco en Italia, o Rodellar y Siurana en España.El clima es caliente con una temperaturas hasta 35 grados casi diario. La mejor temporada para escalar es de noviembre a marzo, ya que es un poco mas fresco. En los meses de mayo a octubre puede llover fuerte a veces por días.English:Rock Climbing in Chiapas is distributed around two sites, San Cristóbal de las Casas and Tuxtla Gutierrez.San Cristóbal de las CasasThe magical town of San Cristobal de las Casas is located at an altitude of 2100 m.a.s.l. in the highlands of Chiapas, surrounded by pines and oaks. Known for its colonial architecture and the E.Z.L.N. movement, the "Zapatistas". It is the main tourist destination in the state. The natives here are the Tzotziles and they are famous for their crafts and weaving.The type of rock is limestone in several different forms. In the "Arcotete" you find yourself climbing on stalactites, similar to places like Thailand, Kalymnos or La Chonta Cave in the state of Guerrero. Big holds, long, very overhanging routes and roofs. And in the area of "Cerro de Don Lauro" dominates very technical face climbing with small crimps. In many parts of the rock you can find fossils from the time, when the hill was still underwater.The weather is very pleasant with an average temperature of 15 degrees. From October to May is the dry season and the best time to climb. In the months June to September it can rain heavily and sometimes you can only climb in places that are protected from rain like "El Arcotete". In the rainy season it is recommended that you start early at 8 or 9am in the morning. In most cases it rains in the afternoon, around 3pm and lasts until the night. The good thing is, the rock dries very fast. A few hours after the rain, it is almost all dry again.Tuxtla GutierrezThe capital of the State of Chiapas. Home of the zoques and neighbor with the historic town Chiapa de Corzo, the entrance to the Sumidero Canyon. At his foot the crocodiles sunbathe next to the tourists, who every day visit this spectacular place. In the heat of the city of rabbits (tochtli = rabbit in nahualt) you should not miss a Pozol, the ancestral energy drink. A powerful mixture of cocoa and corn that is also taken in the state of Tabasco. And although the city is growing rapidly, the songs of the parrots or the pounding of a marimba are still heard sometimes among the traffic noise. The Climbing around it is magnificent.The weather is hot, temperatures up to 35 degrees almost daily. At night it cools a little and for difficult projects it is recommended to wait for the refreshing breeze. The best climbing season is from November to February. In the months from June to October it can rain hard sometimes for days.The type of rock is limestone, which appears in its most playful forms, as in holes, tufas, balls, caves, stalactites and chorreras. With the exception of the great wall of the Sumidero Canyon, the rock is always of very good quality. It is quite similar to areas known as Arco (Italy) or Rodellar and Siurana (Spain). Desde el aeropuerto en Tuxtla Gutierrez 30 minutos al centro o 1 hora a San Cristobal de las Casas. Hay varias opciones para quedarse. 

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