The most relevant social components of Chiapas are demography, culture, politics, and the presence of ethnic groups.
Chiapas is one of the 32 federal entities of Mexico, the eighth largest state (73 thousand square kilometers) and the seventh most populated with 5.3 million inhabitants.
Culture is a very important element in Chiapas, especially music. The state is considered the cradle of the modern double keyboard marimba thanks to Corazón de Jesús Borraz Moreno, who created it in 1892.
Chiapas main social components
Chiapas has a great cultural diversity that is reflected in the high number of inhabitants (27%) who speak an indigenous language, with Tzeltal and Tzotzillas being the most widely spoken, with nearly one million practitioners.
However, this cultural diversity has had a negative impact on some school indexes.
The high number of inhabitants with indigenous characteristics has generated an illiteracy rate of more than 14%, which makes Chiapas the state with the most illiterates in Mexico.
1- Demographics
More than half of the inhabitants of Chiapas live in rural areas, with only 49% of the population corresponding to urban areas.
Its more than 5 million inhabitants are distributed with a population density close to 70 inhabitants per square kilometer, which places Chiapas as the sixteenth state with the highest density of inhabitants.
The growth rate since 2000 is more than 3% and the current population is slightly distributed in favor of women, who make up 51.4% of the total population of the state.
The most inhabited city in Chiapas is its capital Tuxtla Gutiérrez, with 550 thousand inhabitants.
2- Policy
One of the main policy priorities in Chiapas is bilingual education for the high number of indigenous people in the state, as well as the proper management of public funds.
Chiapas has 3 senators and 17 deputies in the Congress of La Unión, its political division consists of 122 municipalities.
3- Ethnicity and religion
Chiapas is the state with the greatest ethnic diversity in Mexico; up to 12 indigenous languages are spoken, there are more than a million inhabitants who practice them together with Spanish.
The Choles, Zoques, Ttoztiles and Tzeltales are the most important native ethnic groups in the region.
Regarding religion, Chiapas is also the state with the greatest religious diversity, only 58% of the population practices Catholicism (compared to 82% at the national level). The rest are divided between evangelicals, Christians, Pentecostals, non-believers and other religions.
4- Culture
Music and gastronomy are the most important cultural manifestations in Chiapas.
The musical heritage of the state comes for centuries, practiced by the first indigenous settlers in songs and poetry to their deities.
These songs and music are passed down from generation to generation and are highly appreciated by the locals.
The most popular dishes in the area include ingredients such as fish, shrimp, cooked and raw hams, and papaya. All these accompanied by the typical elements of Chiapas, such as banana, avocado, mango and copra.
References
- Ethnicities and races (nd). Retrieved on November 23, 2017, from Chiapas Online.
- Alejandra Orozco (February 6, 2016). What is the religious situation in Chiapas? Retrieved on November 23, 2017, from El Siete.
- Demographic rates and indicators (nd). Retrieved on November 23, 2017, from CEIEG Chiapas.
- Chiapas demography (nd). Retrieved on November 23, 2017, from Exploring México.
- Chiapas: a tourist destination with natural wealth and cultural diversity (September 19, 2016). Retrieved on November 23, 2017, from Aristegui Noticias.
- Chiapas Geotourism (sf). Retrieved on November 23, 2017, from Tourism.
- Laura de Caraza Campos (nd). The delicious gastronomy of Chiapas. Retrieved on November 23, 2017, from Unknown Mexico.
- Chiapas culture (sf). Retrieved on November 23, 2017, from Turimexico.