Chiapas, Mexico

Chiapas, Mexico

Chiapas is located in southern Mexico, wedged between Guatemala and the Pacific Ocean, and is home to the Maya ruins of Palenque. It’s one of the poorer states in Mexico and is much troubled by Zapatista militias and is a major point of entry for undocumented immigrants from Central America into Mexico.

It is possible that Chiapas is being held back by its flag. There’s not much to love here. I’m going to disregard the crown. Well, other than to say it’s a little gaudy. The center seal tells the story of two lion lovers. The first lion, Eduardo, lives in the palace. The other lion, Timoteo, is stuck on the other side of a rushing river from his love. A deep chasm keeps apart their love. One day, as Eduardo uses his castle as a scratching post, Timoteo gets an idea. If he scratched that palm tree enough, he may be able to break it down and bridge the gap and run to his lover’s open paws. Unfortunately, the tree is just a little short, and Timoteo plunges to his untimely death. The early 1980s Atari game Pitfall is actaully based on this traditional Chiapan tale.