San Cristóbal de las Casas weather in December
December in San Cristóbal de las Casas: nice, dry, with clean air — an excellent time to visit.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#4 of 12 months in San Cristóbal de las Casas · #104 of 1413 destinations to visit in December · comfort 90/100 (tier S)
- Days
- 23°C
- Nights
- 8°C
- Wet days
- 3
- Sun
- 9.9 h
- Humidity
- 76%
- Daylight
- 11 h
Traveller notes on San Cristóbal de las Casas in December
Other months in San Cristóbal de las Casas
San Cristóbal's forum describes September rain as genuinely hard to predict - it can be pouring in one town and clear and sunny in the next over these mountain roads, day or night. What's more consistent is the temperature swing: pleasant, jacket-optional days in the low 20s C give way to genuinely cold nights, cool enough that posters recommended a proper warm layer for any evening walk. It's a notably different climate from the hot, humid lowlands nearby, which is part of why San Cristóbal draws visitors even in the rainy season.
Forum posters describe this high-altitude town (around 7,200ft) as running noticeably cooler than lowland Mexico even outside its coldest months - January highs typically in the mid-60sF with lows near 40F set the baseline, and March, while milder than January, still carries a real overnight chill given the elevation. Posters consistently note most hotels lack central heating, though extra blankets are commonly provided, so packing warm layers for evenings matters regardless of the season. Unlike the summer rainy season - when posters describe reliably sunny days followed by an hour or two of afternoon/evening rain - March sits in the drier part of the year, generally sunny with a lower overall rain chance.
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San Cristóbal de las Casas climate normals — December
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in San Cristóbal de las Casas in December
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
BusyVirgen de Guadalupe processions, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for San Cristóbal de las Casas's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Fair weatherSan Cristóbal de las Casas's weather peaks January–March, best around February.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in San Cristóbal de las Casas in December
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Season
Highland dry season
1 Nov – 30 AprThe months the unpaved roads out to the Lagunas de Montebello and the Tzotzil villages are reliable and the afternoons stay clear. Nights at two thousand two hundred metres are cold enough for the wood smoke to hang in the streets.
- Festival
Virgen de Guadalupe processions
1–12 DecReligious feastCrowdedRunners carrying torches come in from the highland villages for twelve days, and the barrio around the Guadalupe church stays up all night on the eleventh. Traffic in the centre stops for it. Source ↗
Nearby, and something's on
Within 300 km of San Cristóbal de las Casas — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.
Where is San Cristóbal de las Casas?
San Cristóbal de las Casas in December — FAQ
- Is December a good time to visit San Cristóbal de las Casas?
- December in San Cristóbal de las Casas: nice, dry, with clean air — an excellent time to visit. It ranks #4 of 12 months for San Cristóbal de las Casas on SeasonMap's comfort score (90/100).
- What is the weather like in San Cristóbal de las Casas in December?
- In December, San Cristóbal de las Casas averages a daily high of 22.6°C and a low of 7.5°C, with about 20.7 mm of rain over roughly 3.3 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in San Cristóbal de las Casas in December?
- San Cristóbal de las Casas has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 30 in December.
Within 300 km: Lake Atitlán's Santo Tomas at Chichicastenango on 13–21 Dec.