San Cristóbal de Las Casas and Spanish Classes

"Camping" spot in San Cristóbal for the month

As we blasted down the Oaxacan coast (without surf in the forecast), we realized that we had tons of time to "kill" before my parents arrived in Cancun to meet us for the last week of February. We made a last minute decision to sign up for some Spanish classes in the highland city of San Cristóbal de Las Casas. We thought maybe we would take 2 weeks of classes but we ended up taking 3.5 weeks. I had overestimated my ability to learn Spanish or maybe just underestimated what we already knew.  You don't know what you don't know.

One of the many picturesque churches in San Cristóbal

San Cristóbal is in a valley at 7000' elevation surrounded by 8000 - 9000' "hills". It was a great place to hole up for a month and try to learn Spanish. The days were crystal clear and sunny (usually). The highs were around 70° and the lows were a perfect 48°. I couldn't ask for a better climate. We ended up parked on the street about a 15-min walk to class. The police stopped by one morning to ask us what our deal was, but after we explained we were taking classes, they were cool.

We took classes at a place called "Tierras Mayas". It is perched above the town about 3 blocks from the main square. Spanish classes were a bit rough for me. Not to worry, I have adjusted my expectations accordingly, and am now satisfied with one good communicator in our family.

Other things we liked about San Cristóbal were the french bakery (El Horno Magico) that we visited almost everyday after school and the fancy pizza place that we went to more times than we should've (since it was expensive).  San Cristóbal doesn't have as much inexpensive street food as the other colonial towns we've visited.  There are a lot of tourists (mostly European), so the prices are a bit higher across the board.

FOOD!
Fruit at the lively market and an evening balcony picture of us at Pizzeria El Punto

Link to more San Cristobal pictures