9781422286944

The States of Mexico

There is beautiful scenery throughout mountainous Chiapas, including the steep walls of the Sumidero Canyon in Tuxtla Gutiérrez.

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as well as Tuxtla Guitérrez, the state capital. The rebels’ demands were for land, democratic reforms, health care, and education. The rebellion continued for more than a decade, although new legislation introduced by President Vicente Fox in 2003 resolved some of the rebels problems. Since then, the violence has diminished, although the Zapatistas continue to rule over some communities in rural areas of Chiapas. Campeche If you are going to continue your travels in Mexico, now you must leave the Pacific coast and instead turn northeast to enter the state of Campeche. Campeche’s coastline is to the northwest, on the Gulf of Mexico. The economy of Campeche depends on the oil industry, since the Bay of Campeche contains many of Mexico’s offshore oil fields. Oil is not the state’s only industry, though. About 14 percent of the region’s economy comes from wood and wood products, such as furniture.