23
Apr

Booze, Blouses and Burials – Mayan Villages Around San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

Posted on April 23rd, 2011 :: Posted in Church, Market, Mexico, video
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San Cristóbal de las Casas is fascinating, but you really should get out of town long enough to get a feel for the very different (but equally fascinating) Tzotzil and Tzeltal Mayan villages that surround this city in the Chiapas highlands.


San Juan Chamula

The most-visited of the neighboring villages has to be the Tzotzil town of San Juan Chamula just a few miles from San Cristóbal and home to a famous church.  We arrived early on a Sunday (market day) and our truck was immediately swarmed by kids and not in a good way. For the first time in Mexico we felt uneasy about leaving our truck in the hands of these kids.

Tzotzil women selling goods at the Sunday market in Chamula near San Cristóbal de las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico.


But we had no choice, so off we went to pay the 20 peso per person entrance fee that’s required for foreigners to enter the Chamula church. We also get the very clear message about the town’s rules against taking pictures of town officials or anything inside the church. In case you didn’t understand the rules the first time, local men wearing white wool tunics and carrying big sticks were walking around confiscating film and erasing digital photo cards whenever they caught someone taking a shot.

Fair enough. Certainly a town (espeically an autonomous one like Chamula) has the right to earn a little something off the tourists they attract and the locals absolutely have the right to lay out (and enforce) some ground rules.

Festively-dressed civic and religious officials overseeing the Sunday market in Chamula. They'll be drunk by noon.

A traditionally-dressed Tzotzil man gets his sandals shined at the Sunday market in Chamula.


What bothered us was the resentment we felt in Chamula. It was clear that some members of the population have had it up to here with tourists. After witnessing the skimpy clothing and photo-snapping behavior of a few of the folks getting out of mini-vans we can understand that feeling. 

But if you really can’t stand us why take our money and fake welcome us in? You simply can’t have it both ways (snatch the cash then wish we’d never come), no matter how cool your church is. And the church in Chamula is damn cool.

Chamula's claim to fame is beautiful on the outside and other-worldly on the inside. Unfortunately, they're serious about not taking pictures inside.


The white facade with colorful blue and green trim is fairly unassuming. Inside, however, is an amazinng world of Mayan customs and Spanish Catholic tradition. Dry pine needles blanket the tiled floor. There are no seats but locals sit and squat on the pine needles as they meticulously arrange candles in all shapes, sizes and colors. Each person seems to have their own personal design in mind and the floor is abalze in flickering patterns–the only light in the whole dark space. Men and boys wander around scraping the dregs of spent candles off the tile and making sure the pine needles don’t ignite.

The walls are lined with niches which house carvings of saints we recognize and some we don’t. Smoke from copal insense obscures their faces, mirrors and doll parts and other offerings hang from their limbs. Some people faced the front altar (the altar paintings were all missing when we visited) and some faced a saint along the walls as they lit their canldes and mumbled their prayers in the Tzotzil language. One woman was swinging a docile live chicken as she chanted.

The effect was hypnotizing–one of the most transporting experiences we have ever had in a church.

A procession exiting Chamula's famous church.

A Sunday procession exits the church in Chamula. Note the Jesus statue wearing a white wool cloak that matches what many local men wear.


By the time we emerged back into the sunlight the resentful vibe eased up a bit as the men (and some women) were becoming increasingly blotto on a clear alcohol made from fermented sugar cane called posh (pronounced pox) which they like to mix with Coca-Cola. One theory is that the belches produced by drinking carbonated beverages are thought to expel bad spirits. Our theory is that the special billboard Coca-Cola put up along the road near Chamula, aimed squarely at the local market, has done its job.

They'd like to teach the world to drink.

Roughly spun wool, which the local communitites weave into fabulously fluffy skirts and tunics to ward off the cold in the Chiapas highlands, for sale at the Sunday market in Chamula.


Exploring the Chamula market, with its gorgeous piles of rough wool and its smattering of fresh produce, and silently soaking up the atmosphere in the church made us hungry so we stopped at a little stand where a woman was grilling chicken. With so many begging children around (where, exactly, is our 20 peso entrance fee going?) we saved some of the food to give to the kids.

Imagine how stupid we felt when we returned to our truck to find that some of those kids had splattered sticky, drippy fruit all over the passenger side window and shoved soda cans and candy wrappers into the bed.

It's a rare treat to find areas where both men and women retain their traditional dress.


Wander around the Chamula market and watch a procession leaving the town’s famous church in our video, below.

 


San Andrés Larráinza

The Tzotzil Mayan town of San Andrés Larráinzar hosted peace talks between the Zapatistas and the Mexican government (whose represenatives sometimes failed to show up for scheduled talks, accusing the Zapatistas of propogandizing) in the mid ’90s. 

The church in San Andres Larráinzar.


We arrived in Larráinzar in time to grab some tamales from a vendor at their market, which fortified us for a good half hour of watching men wearing fancy hats and sashes (members of the local civic and religious groups) stumble around blind-drunk in front of the town’s church. There seemed to be a hierarchy and specific roles to play–some were attempting to  dance, some attempting to play music, some orchestrating events–but all of them were too inebriated to do much aobut it. A few were simply slumped over on a bench next to the church entrance. 

Brightly dressed, and totally blotto, civic and religious leaders in San Andres Larráinzar.


If anyone has any theories (beyond the obvious) about why binge drinking is a such a huge part of so many market days and religious days in indigenous areas around the world, please share your comments here.


San Lorenzo Zinacantán

Though we arrived too late to take in the market in San Lorenzo Zinacantán  (most are over by noon at the latest) we paid our 15 peso per person entrance fee and checked out what this town is really famous for: bright blue and purple floral weavings.

Zinacantán is famous for its textiles in eye-popping colors and patterns.

The colors are almost blinding and the large floral motifs are bold to say the least. The local women look fabulous in the the boxy blouses they make out of these fabrics, but most tourists end up looking silly. Though if we still had a house we would have been tempted to buy one of the blouses from one of the women selling them from small shops in the center of town and hang it on a wall as pure art.


Tenejapa

Another great day trip destination outside San Cristóbal is actually the final destination for many Tzeltal villagers. Near Tenejapa lies the Romerillo cemetery where tall light blue and light green crosses are arranged on the crest of  a hill. Like lop-sided sentinals, they keep watch over a ramshackle (and, sadly, garbage-strewn) collection of graves. The small crosses on each grave are color-coded to indicate the nature of the person buried there (old, female, male, a child, etc). Each grave is also topped with a simple wooden door or wooden planks. On Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) the wood is removed so people can “talk” to their dearly departed.

The immediate effect is an unshakable impression that zombies will be shoving their rotting arms up through the earth and rising up through the doors at any moment. Creepy, but cool.

The Romerillo cemetery near Tenejapa.

The Romerillo cemetery near Tenejapa.



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20
Apr

Jaguars on the Loose – San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

Posted on April 20th, 2011 :: Posted in Art, City, Mexico, Pueblo Magico
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It all started with a painted Cow Parade in Zurich. Then the cow idea came to Chicago, then New York City. Before you knew it, cities around the world were getting artists to paint all kinds of giant animals (and other icons) and placing them around town.

There were painted salmon in Anchorage, guitars in Austin, crabs in Baltimore, lobsters in Halifax, Nova Scotia and so on. During our Trans-Americas Journey we’ve encountered painted cows, elk, horses, pelicans, pigs, buffalo, moose and even bears.  And now: jaguars.

Twenty five life-size jaguars painted by 25 different artists were installed in the lovely main plaza in the lovely town of San Cristóbal de las Casas as part of a project called Jaguarte. We couldn’t pick a favorite so we decided to just show them all to you. 



Click any of the images, below, to see a larger version of the picture.



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18
Apr

Just One More Day – San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

Posted on April 18th, 2011 :: Posted in Boutique Hotel, City, Mexico, Pueblo Magico
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That’s how it starts. You get charmed by the cool weather, gorgeous architecture, cosmopolitan scene and some of the most vibrantly alive indigenous culture in all of Mexico and you keep delaying your departure from San Cristóbal de las Casas “just one more day.” Named after Bartolomé de las Casas, a Dominican monk who lived in the area in the 1500s where he became Bishop of Chiapas and, more importantly, a dedicated and effective defender of the rights of the local indigenous communites. He remains beloved to this day.

The Cathedral in San Cristóbal was finished in 1815 and has been rebuilt several times since following damage from earthquakes. It's located just off the main plaza where Zapatistas made a stand against the Mexican Army in 1994.


As the road climbed into the highlands of Chiapas the weather cooled. San Cristóbal is at nearly 7,000 feet (around 2,100 meters) and the temperature change came as a welcome relief after weeks in the steamy lowlands. The higher we went something less-tangible changed as the villages took on an assertiveness of personality rarely seen in the rest of Mexico.

Local women, wearing the bright blue and purple clothing made in nearby Zinacantan, shop a market in San Cristóbal de las Casas.


By the time we neared San Cristóbal (no one calls it by its full name) we were in the midst of people proudly wearing traditional clothing and tending to the remains of the area’s famous Zapatista uprising as evidenced by numerous hand painted signs and murals calling for land rights and better education for poor communities. About an hour short of San Cristóbal we passed the Oventic caracol, an autonomous village run by the EZLN (Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional, the Zapatista government) which was guarded by men wearing the Zapatista’s signature red bandanas over their faces.

This mural, on a building in the Oventic caracol, an autonomous village run by or Zapatistas, depicts corn (a symbol of the land), an indigenous woman defending her rights and Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata--the inspiration for the term Zapatista.

Stores in San Cristóbal sell crafts that range from the revolutionaly to the religious.


Eric was actually in San Cristóbal just a few weeks before the January 1, 1994 Zapatista uprising, launched on the day the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect. Using NAFTA as the example that summed up economic wrongs suffered by Mexico’s indigenous poor, Subcomandante Marcos and Comandante Ramona lead thousands of armed villagers in a surprise attack on the Mexican army which culminated in a bloody shootout in San Cristóbal’s main plaza.

A lot has changed since then. San Cristóbal, which was given Pueblo Magico status by the Mexican government in 2003, now has pedestrian malls full of chic cafes. Indigenous women stroll around selling shawls, not revolution (at least not openly). Mexican tourists flock here both for the weather and for the chance to glimpse another side of their culture. Live musicians and graffiti artists liven up the streets. There’s a Burger King.

The cosmopolitan cafe culture along Hidalgo street which is closed to traffic.

The work of street artists is more common in San Cristóbal than in most other Mexican cities.


Though technically still at war with the Mexican government, the days of palpable Zapatista revolution seem gone at least on the surface. The Zapatista’s demands for autonomy, rights to land and natural resources for the local people and a more equal economic and educational system were mostly never met and the Mexican army continues to maintian an obvious presence in the area. However, we were glad to hear a number of locals assure us that the area’s indigenous communities did gain a new and enduring sense of pride and self-confidence from their short and spectacular uprising.

The Zapatista actions in 1994 left another legacy as well: lots and lots of foreigners. Subcomandante Marcos and the revolution he lead struck a chord with people around the world–especially those with socialist or Marxist-leaning politics. Then the New York Times called the Zapatista movement “the first post-modern revolution,” inspiring even more Europeans and even some US citizens to travel to San Cristóbal to help in any way they could.

Many stayed and were joined by fellow countrymen and today you can’t walk down the street without hearing someone speaking English, French or German or Hebrew.

San Cristóbals' Arco del Carmen, a 17th century arch and clocktower located at the end of the Hidalgo Street pedestrian mall.

A cotton candy vendor in front of the Cathedral in San Cristóbal de las Casas.


This poulation of foreigners is part of the reason San Cristóbal has gotten the hosptiality thing down so addictively well. The French have opened REAL bakeries. The Israelis have opened at least one fabulous falafel shop–don’t miss a meal at this place just a few doors down from the totally-not-worth-it Cafe Museo. Light falafel balls, homemade pita bread and all the toppings for 40 pesos (about US$ 3.50). Be warned–they’re often out of falafel balls by 4:00.

There are locally-run standouts too. For example, every Wednesday and Saturday night around 8:00 a red lightbulb appears in the darkness down Leon street a short walk out of central San Cristóbal. This is the signal that some of the tastiest tamales in Mexico are ready. Filled with a mind-boggling variety of meats, chilies, cheeses and vegetables each variety is shaped and tied differently so the cook can tell them apart as she fills your order from a huge steaming pot under a tarp for 3 pesos (about US$0.25) each.

Despite the influx of foreign residents and international tourists, San Cristóbal remains a Mexican city with more than its share of classic Colonial architecture. That's part of the reason the Mexican government has deemed San Cristóbal to be a Pueblo Magico.

The elaborate facade of San Cristóbal's Templo de Santo Domingo.


Karen’s favorite local haunt was La Viña de Bacco a true wine and tapas bar. Order up an 18 peso (US $1.50) glass of wine and a small snack (cheese, cold cuts, bean spread, olives, etc.) comes with it. Enjoy. Repeat. The place even delivered good music including Ben Haper on the sound system and local busking bands like Sin Fin, a funky guitar and trumpet duo from Colorado who were playing andbusking their way through Latin America.  


Owner Mario Uvence in the exquisitely-curated gift shop at his art-and-antique-filled hotel Parador San Juan de Dios.

Adding to our sense of contentment was the fact that when we arrived in San Cristóbal we checked into the Parador San Juan de Dios where fascinating owner and renowned antiques and art dealer Mario Uvence had generously agreed to host us for a few nights so we could check out his 15 room hotel in a 16th century farm house which he’s lovingly resorted and filled with museum-quality art and antiques.

Not to mention fluffy down comforters and working fireplaces (did we mention that San Cristóbal is at 7,000 feet?). Even if you’re not staying at Parador San Juan de Dios it’s worth a visit to the gift shop and small (but amazing) museum Mario has established on hotel grounds. The gift shop has some of the chicest examples of local handicrafts anywhere in Chiapas (great if you’re looking for a special souvenier or gift). The museum, called Eklektic, is full of 17th-21st century religious pieces from Mexico, the Phiaround the world including stunners like a miniature baby Jesus carved out of ivory.

Part of the lush and welcoming grounds of Parador San Juan de Dios hotel in San Cristóbal de las Casas.


After about 48 hours we had to admit that we needed much more time in San Cristóbal so we did the only sensible thing: we rented a room in an apartment at a rate that was even cheaper than the hostels in town.

We used our extra time well with trips through the indigenous communities around San Cristóbal including Chamula where even the decidedly lukewarm welcome couldn’t take the shine off one of the most fascinating churches we’ve ever seen. We’ll tell you all about the love/hate (and drunkenness) in Chamula, an eery pagan/Christian cemetery and more in our next post!



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