High in the Tseltal highlands of Chiapas, the locality of Sibactel sits near 1,600 m.a.s.l. in the municipality of Tenejapa. Daily life follows communal usos y costumbres, binding language, land, and labour into a single rhythm.
A Living Climate Map
Tenejapa has a sub-tropical highland climate (Cwb). Temperatures hover between 15 °C and 20 °C, with lows near 4°C and highs around 26 °C. Annual precipitation reaches ≈ 900–1,000 mm over 180+ rainy days; a crisp dry season (November–March) yields to long, misty months (April–October), when afternoon showers keep soils moist and canopies lush.
A Patchwork of Forest and Farming
Two-thirds of Sibactel’s terrain remains forest and shaded coffee; the rest is milpa—maize, beans, and home gardens that secure household food. About 90 Tseltal producers, united around Cafeología’s Beneficio Comunitario Sibactel, transform high-mountain cherries into a single pulse of quality and trust. Coffee leaves these slopes with its identity intact, proving a community mill can be laboratory, town hall, and home—a resilient model.
Low productivity and volatile prices push families to seek seasonal work elsewhere.