Tuxtla

The Zoques made the first pre-Hispanic settlement at the site. They named the valley area name Coyatoc, which means 'land or house of rabbits'. The Aztecs intruded into the area between 1486 and 1505 and named it Tuchtlan, which means the same thing in their language. After the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, and the subjugation of the local Chiapan people in 1528, the Dominicans constructed a monastery in nearby Tecpatán. There is no official founding date for Tuxtla, but it is known that the Dominican monks gathered dispersed Zoques into communities organized around churches in the 16th century. A church dedicated to San Marcos (Saint Mark) was founded by the Dominicans for one of these communities in 1560. …

Tuxtla features a tropical wet and dry climate under the Köppen climate classification. With its relatively low altitude, the area has a hot and relatively humid climate with most rain falling in the summer. Except for a rainy and dry season (summer-fall and winter-spring respectively) there is little variation in the climate during the year. Even the distinction between the rainy and dry season is one of quantity of rain. Air conditioning is rare as most homes and offices use fans and most rooms and offices open into streets or courtyards. Most businesses close in the late afternoon from between 2:00 until 4:30 or 5:00 when it can get hot. Although it is not on the coast, it is close enough that hurricanes and tropical storms can affect it at time. In 2003, Tropical Storm Larry caused flooding in the city, forcing the evacuation of 7,000 people.

The two most important local celebrations are Saint Mark's Day and the Feria Chiapas. The Feria de San Marcos (Saint Mark's Fair) occurs each April in the center of the city, honoring the patron saint of Mark the Evangelist. It includes offerings, fireworks in frames called castillos (castles), and pilgrimages for four days starting on the 25th. The Feria Chiapas includes bullfights, horse racing, cockfights and exhibitions of the many products of the state, including crafts, manufactured goods and agricultural products. It is held on the next to last Sunday of November through the first Sunday of December. The Zoque Carnival reflects the area's Zoque heritage. It includes a ritual called the "Virgin Mary's Descent" in Copoya: on January 30, local statues of the Virgin Mary are carried by foot from the Copoya church down to the Valley of Tuxtla. …

The municipality is the only one in the state with a very low rate of economic marginalization. As of 2005, there were 121,312 residences, with 111,567 owned by their occupants. On average, there are 4.25 occupants per household, slightly lower than the regional and state averages of 4.52 and 4.85. Most homes have some kind of flooring, with less than ten percent having packed earth. Over 84% of homes have block sides. Over 70% have concrete slab roofs, with less than 15% having asbestos roofs. Over 98% have electricity, over 78% have running water, and about 94% have sewerage service. Over 75% of the city's population is employed in commerce and services, which includes government. This is above the regional level of 53.36% and state level of 37.31%. Government at the state, federal and local levels has been one of the main sources of employment in the city since the 1970s. …

The city is a transportation hub for the whole short infrastructured state of Chiapas. Tuxtla is connected by road, bus and air to the rest of the country and Central America; there is no railroad access. The municipality has 54.25 km of highways, over half are rural roads (28.75 km). The Panamerican Highway is the main access way, crossing the city as Federal Highway 190 from west to east; the stretch from Ocozocoautla to Chiapa de Corzo has been upgraded to a 4-lane highway. A new bypass to the south of the city (Nuevo Libramiento Sur) was completed in 2018 to alleviate the heavy traffic. A-road, two-lane toll motorways connect the Tuxtla area with San Cristóbal (45 minutes), Arriaga (1 hour) and Minatitlán (2.5 hours). …

According to the 2020 Census, the municipality had a total population of 604,147. The city of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, with 578,830 residents, is the 31st most populated city in the country. The municipality had 125 localities, the largest of which were Copoya (9,868) and El Jobo (5,798), classified as urban. Over half of the population of the Central Valley region of Chiapas lives in the city. Most are young, with 66% under the age of thirty and the average age of twenty three. The rate of population growth is about four percent, with the population expected to double in less than twenty years. 99.56% of the municipality's population lives in three urban areas with the rest scattered among 81 other rural communities. The population density is 1,053/km2 well above the regional average of 75/km2 and state 52/km2. The average woman has 2.27 children, below the regional average of 2. …