San Cristobal and the surrounding villages of Chamula and Zinacantan

Yesterday was the day trip to San Cristobal de las Casas. Ruth and I have been there twice before, 3 nights in February of 2009, and two nights at the end of February 2013. We like San Cristobal, but it sure has grown in the nine years since the first time we were there.

San Cristobal is located in the mountains at an altitude of around 7,000 ft. Where we are parked with the motorhomes is only 1,400 ft. And San Cristobal is only 50 kms (30 miles), away so it is up hill all the way.

The van came and picked us up at 9:00am. There were only 12 of us for this day trip because the dog owners drove their RVs back to the orphanage where it is a bit cooler.

Our first stop was the indigenous town of San Juan Chamula. The town and surrounding area is populated (76,000 people) entirely by the Tzotzil people. They have autonomous status is Mexico, and no outside police or military is allowed in.

Entering San Juan Chamula.

 The old church and graveyard.

It's also very difficult to take photos. These people believe that part of your soul is stolen from you when you are photographed. There are lots of stories of tourists having their cameras taken away from them, and even being thrown in jail for a few hours.

The religion in the area is like nothing you will see anywhere else in the world. It is a mix of Catholicism and Paganism.

The main church in the area.

There is no photography allowed inside the church. And of course it's too bad, because it would really be worth a few pictures. Let me see if I can describe it...

There are no pews. You walk in, and are greeted by literally thousands of candles burning. The floor is covered in pine needles, an inch thick in places. There are people kneeling on the floor, several groups of perhaps six to ten people. The tourists wander through, and you feel a little bit like you shouldn't be there. And yet, your presence doesn't seem to bother anybody.

The people kneeling on the floor are doing a variety of things. Some are lightning more candles. The candles are varying sizes, and the colors represent various things. Other groups have a chicken and they are rubbing the chicken up and down their arms. The chicken is eventually sacrificed with a quick snap of the neck.

There are Catholic religious symbols and statues along the side walls of the interior. There is no actual altar as such, just some religious items along with flowers and of course more candles.

How the pine needles don't catch fire is anybody's guess. Like I said, there are thousands of candles burning, many stuck right to the floor.

Gabriel himself, the owner of the caravan company, has his office in San Cristobal and he was our guide for the day. Really good to be able to spend the day with him. He knows the area well.

The Chamula market is located in the plaza opposite the church. 

Peppers!

We took a short moto-taxi ride back to where our van was waiting.

From there, we went to the nearby town of Zinacantan. Separated by a mountain and ten kilometers, the towns are entirely different. Despite the close proximity, the people have different customs and their own holidays and celebrations. We had to pay to enter the town.

Unfortunately, the main church was severely damaged by the big earthquake last September.

They have a temporary church set up (on the right), but of course it's not the same.

Holding the wall up.

We then went to a house that is set up for tourists. I get the impression that the typical Tzotzil would not welcome a visitor into their home. However, they do welcome tourists in general. And they are always right there trying to sell you something!

The house shows the typical way they live.

Corn is harvested and dried.

Ready for grinding.

Don't forget to try some posh, the local liquor. 

Similar to the popular aguardiente we drank in Colombia.

This lady said it was okay take to take her photo. She is making fresh tortillas for us.

Zinacantan is a textiles center, and the goods appear to be made by hand the old fashioned way. Many hours of work to produce one item.

Backstrap weaving.

Just for fun, they dressedup Ruth and I in traditional wedding costumes...

Married in the mountains of Chiapas!

We then drove into San Cristobal and went for lunch.

Lunch at the Hotel Ciudad Real.

A short parade went by outside.

The cathedral is San Cristobal is also undergoing repair from the September earthquake.

 I snuck a candid shot from a distance!

The main walking street in San Cristobal.

Can you spot the tourist?

We bought a set of four handmade place mats from this lady for our table in the motorhome. 

230 pesos ($15.75 CAD, $12.50 USD) for the set of four.

Street food.

Beans.

San Cristobal has one of the best markets we know!

We bought two small cantaloupe, a cucumber, a huge bag of green beans, a 1/2 kilo of strawberries, and a 1/2 kilo of sweet seedless green grapes. Total cost, 112 pesos ($7.75 CAD, $6.00 USD).

Our new placemats.

Two new sweaters for our grandkids. 80 pesos ($5.50 CAD, $4.25 USD) each.

Gotta go... we're off to the boat trip up the Sumidero Canyon!

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