The name of Coapilla derives from the Nahuatl terms and it means: "Rio de las Culebras". In Zoque Coapilla language it is said "kuñämä". Coapilla is a municipality belonging to the state of Chiapas. It is located in the Northern Mountains, which explains the sharp nature of its relief, its geographic coordinates are 17º 08 "N and 93º 10" W, and the municipal homonymous head of the municipality is 1,560 meters above sea level. The approximate distance, starting from the state capital, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, is 98 kilometers and the only means of transport is land.
The municipality of Coapilla has boundaries with the municipalities of: Ocotepec, Tapalapa and Pantepec to the north, Bochil to the east, Chicoásen to the south and the municipality of Copainalá to the west. It is located at an average altitude of 1,631 meters above sea level. According to the data of the population count INEGI 2010, the total number of inhabitants in the municipality of Coapilla is 8,444 people. The population is mainly engaged in agriculture. The land is suitable for the production of coffee, chayote, apple, avocado, blackberry, peach, plum, pear and strawberry, however, people are primarily engaged in the planting of corn and beans and the raising of backyard animals for self-consumption It is an enclave of passage for the localities located between Ocotepec, Tapalapa and Copainalá.