they begin to celebrate by wearing their traditional clothes and performing the corresponding traditional rites. The patron saint of Zinacantán is San Lorenzo (Saint Lawrence), whose feast day is 10 August. This traditional feast lasts four days (8–10 August). The feast of Saint Sebastian, 20 January, is also important in Zinacantan. In fact, Saint Sebastian's feast lasts from 18 to 22 January. There are also many other feasts which are less important, including Epiphany on 6 January, Our Lady of the Candelaria on 2 February, Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, Pentecost, Saint Dominic on 4 August, Saint Matthiew on 22 September, and Christmas. History In pre-Columbian times before the conquerors' arrival, Zinacantán already had strong links with the Aztecs in the Central Zone of Mexico. Zinacantecans exchanged their products (especially salt, but by the 19th century also cacao, tobacco, and coffee) with Aztec traders. The first missionaries who came to evangelize the native inhabitants in Zinacantán were the Dominican Friars. They settled in Zinacantan in the 16th century and built a wooden chapel to begin their mission. These missionaries left Zinacantán before they were expelled from Mexico by the government in the 17th century. They resumed their pastoral work in Zinacantan in 1976. An important development in Zinacantán was the construction of the Pan American Highway, which significantly improved the mobility and prosperity of the Zinacanteco population, as it enabled them to easily transport goods to market such as maize and flowers. Climate Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as subtropical highland (Cfb). References ''This article draws upon information contained in the Spanish-language Wikipedia article, :es:Zinacantán. Zinacantán at Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México: External links Zinacantán Tzotzil Vocabulary List (from the World Loanword Database) Municipalities of Chiapas