Teapa

Teapa is a small city of less than 30,000 people (2020) in the southern Mexico state of Tabasco. People visit Teapa for its colonial architecture and heritage and for its natural attractions including scenic rocky rivers, rolling hills, natural baths, and underground caves. It is one of Mexico's designated Pueblos Mágicos.

Understand
In the pre-Columbian era, Teapa was known as the "capital of the Zoques". The Zoques are an indigenous people who trace their heritage to the ancient Olmec. Unfortunately, there are no significant archaeological sites near Teapa.

The town's colonial history dates from 1594, when it was established as a Spanish town. Dominican friars were entrusted with the mission of evangelizing and converting local natives to Christianity. The Dominicans built the Convento de Santo Domingo in 1633. In the early 18th century, Franciscans and Jesuits would also come to Teapa. The Franciscans built the church of Santiago Apóstol between 1715 and 1725.

Local uprisings occurred during the Mexican War of Independence, but critics of the crown were effectively silenced. Indian uprising was not as easily contained, but a treacherous Indian woman named Pascuala Chavez who turned against her people, earning praise from King Carlos III. After Mexico achieved its independence, turmoil ensued in Tabasco and for a time, Teapa served as the state capital under the leadership of Juan Dionisio Marcín who was part of a coalition to preserve federalist government in Tabasco. Other insurrections rose and were suppressed in the late 19th century.

The town is sometimes known as Santiago de Teapa or more formally referred to as Heroica Villa de Santiago de Teapa, though neither of those is ever used by anyone other than bombastic government officials. Everyone just calls the place Teapa.

The town's landscape is dominated by rolling hills and a river (Rio Teapa) that begins in town, flowing to the Rio Puyacatengo. The surrounding hills, referred to as the Sierra Madrigal, that include El Sombrero, Coconá, Cerro Gordo, El Azufre and Coronada. There are abundant nature watching opportunities here as well as unique natural features like rocky streams and underground caverns.

Get in
The closest large city with scheduled commercial airline service is Villahermosa.

By bus
From Villahermosa, it is a 1-hour bus ride to Teapa. Autobuses TRT has one direct bus each day with fares costing M$50.



By car
From Villahermosa, drive south on federal highway MEX-195. The 55 km trip will take just under an hour.

See






Do






Eat
A wise man once told me to "always eat dessert first." That's good advice anywhere, but particularly so in Teapa where empanadas de platano are a regional specilty. Like empanadas everywhere, you start with a pastry crust, then fill it with sliced bananas and sprinkle it with piloncillo (unrefined sugar cane extract). Fry the empanada as usual, then serve warm, topped with crema. By the way, Teapa grows more bananas than any other town in Tabasco (and the state accounts for 70% of Mexico's banana harvest). There is even a species of banana called the Tabasco banana, and of course, it's grown locally.

Sleep








Go next

 * Tapijulapa
 * Villahermosa
 * Pantanos de Centla