Tacos in Chiapas

Chiapas, Mexico's southernmost state, is known for cochito, pork marinated in a spiced chile recado and roasted, which in the capital Tuxtla Gutiérrez is eaten as breakfast tacos with black beans and a cup of pozol.

Overview

Larousse's gastronomic dictionary describes Chiapas as second in the country for biodiversity, with a large Indigenous population that includes Tseltal, Tsotsil, Chol, Zoque and Lacandón peoples. Corn is the base of the diet, eaten as tortillas, pozol, atole and many kinds of tamales; Chiapas is also the leading national coffee producer and second in cacao. Mexico News Daily notes that 28 percent of residents speak an Indigenous language and that Larousse records nearly thirty varieties of tamal in the state. Colonial charcuterie such as butifarra, chorizo and longaniza remains part of the regional table.

Cochito

Cochito, or cochito horneado, is pork marinated in a recado of ancho chile and spices and roasted slowly in a clay pot or wood-fired oven. Mexico Travel & Leisure names Chiapa de Corzo as its home and describes it served with the reduced recado, lettuce, radish and raw onion. Larousse lists cochito al horno among the dishes of the festive comida grande. In Tuxtla Gutiérrez, El Financiero reports, it is marinated with sour orange and cooked in a wood oven.

Tacos de cochito are the state's signature taco. TV Azteca describes them as pork with a blend of chiles and aromatic herbs, topped with lettuce, onion and salsa. The best-known seller is Taquitos de la Comisión in Tuxtla, opened by Doña Arminda as a stand in 1979 outside the federal electricity commission's offices; by 2023 it had six branches and served its tacos with refried black beans, chile güero and pozol.

Other foods

San Cristóbal de las Casas and Comitán are known for the tamal de bola, filled with pork rib and a fried Simojovel chile, and Chiapa de Corzo for pozol and sopa de chipilín. Unusual local ingredients include chicatana ants, chipilín and shuti snails, and drinks range from pozol and tascalate to the comiteco spirit. Tuxtla's Mercado Dieciséis de Septiembre is a good place to find ninguijute, a pork mole thickened with ground pumpkin seed.

Signature tacos

• Tacos de cochito horneado

Reviews

See also

• Tacos de cochito horneado
• Tacos de cochinita pibil
• Tacos in Oaxaca
• Tacos in Tabasco

References

1. "Chiapas". Larousse Cocina (Diccionario enciclopédico de la Gastronomía Mexicana). Retrieved 2026-10-10.
2. "State by Plate: Dishes of Chiapas". Mexico News Daily. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
3. "Foods of Chiapas: 22 Traditional Dishes and Drinks to Try First". Mexico Travel & Leisure. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
4. "Así son los 'Taquitos de la Comisión', donde Claudia Sheinbaum comió cochito en Chiapas". El Financiero. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
5. "Día del Taco: ¿Cuál es la especialidad en cada estado?". TV Azteca (Azteca Noticias). Retrieved 2026-10-10.