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Chiapas has long been torn by political, ethnic, and religious conflict. Chiapanecans have faced living conditions that are much more difficult than in the rest of Mexico. While Mexico is a rapidly industrializing country, the improved living conditions of some have not led to any change in the poverty and poor health status of many people in Chiapas.

Ironically, Chiapas provides many of the natural resources for the rest of the country. Yet despite the contribution that the Chiapanecans make to the national economy, they receive few services from the federal government and little to nothing reaches the most rural areas. In the words of one health promoter, "It is not true that Chiapas is poor. Chiapas is rich in natural resources. It is the people of Chiapas who are poor."

Their poverty is reflected in high levels of malnutrition and disease. In 1989, when PIH joined with EAPSEC to expand its work, a study in two rural areas of Chiapas found that one in four children suffered from severe malnutrition. Less than one third were the appropriate weight for their height. Infant and maternal mortality rates in Chiapas are among the worst in Mexico. Chiapas also suffers from the most deaths due to diarrhea, the second lowest access to immunization coverage and the fourth lowest life expectancy of any state in the country.