On Easter Sunday, we found ourselves in the middle of an exuberant procession, drums pounding, flags waving, incense wafting our way. A church with the dates "1525-1535" painted near the top towered over the square and the hoards of people celebrating. At unpredictable intervals, fireworks boomed around us, surprising me every time. The men carrying statues of saints were clothed in wool ponchos and the women donned wool skirts, woven shawls, and colorful blouses. Inside the church, straw covered the ground, making the floor slippery. We saw more than one person fall and almost followed suit. The inside of the church was an open space, with no benches, pews, or chairs to be seen. Groups of worshippers knelt on the ground in front of statues of saints, burning candles and making sacrifices to heal themselves. The procession of men, flags, and statues rounded the square before heading inside, pressing everyone more closely together. It was loud, exciting, and different than any worship I had experienced before. We were in the Mayan village of San Juan Chamula, only 10 km from San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico but very distinct in traditions, culture, and language. Chamula is made up almost entirely of indigenous residents who speak Tzotzil. The town is autonomous, with their own religious leaders, town leaders, and police force. Experiencing the unique culture of San Juan Chamula and San Lorenzo Zinacantán, another autonomous Mayan village, was one of the highlights of our trip to Chiapas. We signed up for a tour through Alex y Raul Tours at the recommendation of our Airbnb host. The host called the company to reserve our spots. The only information we had was to show up in the main square of San Cristobal de las Casas at 9:15am on Sunday and look for Caesar. Luckily, we found him standing very obviously in the center of the square. They divided us into an English-speaking group and Spanish-speaking group, and we were off to San Juan Chamula. I HIGHLY recommend the Mayan villages tour with this tour company. Our guide for the English-speaking tour, Raul, was superb. He told us that his father owns the tour company, and he helps out by giving tours on weekends. During the week, he teaches college history and language courses in San Cristobal. His English was excellent, he ensured that the group stayed together, he was friendly, and he had a wealth of information about the villages. When we first signed up for the tour on Easter, we were concerned that there wouldn't be anything to see, since we are used to restaurants and shops being closed for the holiday. However, as Caesar assured us, it was the exact opposite. The villages were bursting with life to celebrate Easter, a special occasion we would have missed on any other day. In Chamula, we started the tour by a cemetery and abandoned church. The cemetery contained graves with multiple crosses on each grave, the stone crosses representing Catholicism and the wooden crosses traditional to the Mayans. Raul explained that the Mayans of this village have blended their traditional religious beliefs with Catholic beliefs introduced by the Spanish in colonial times. In Chamula, they revere St. John the Baptist above all others and consider themselves children of St. John - hence the name San Juan Chamula. While people in Chamula say they are Catholic, their church is not recognized by the Vatican due to the differences in their beliefs from Catholic doctrine. For example, during a healing ritual, worshippers in the church kneel in front of particular saints, burn candles, present chickens, and drink posh, an indigenous liquor from sugar cane. We entered the home of a religious leader, who had a curtain of plants set up to protect the statue of the saint in that house. Raul explained that it is an honor to be a religious leader in the town and that men who are chosen for that year quit their jobs to devote all of their time and money to the saint they represent. The leader was tending to the altar as we talked, setting up candles and changing the plants. We presented a donation to the leader and took a small sip of posh, the liquor used in religious ceremonies. Next, lead by the sporadic booms from fireworks, we headed to the church where the Easter procession was in full swing. On the way, we passed markets and stands selling everything from mangoes to seafood, wool clothing to kitchen tools. The previous days, I had observed women and children selling trinkets, shawls, and other handicrafts in the streets of San Cristobal, all wearing furry wool skirts wrapped with belts and colorful blouses. I had wondered whether this was actually traditional or whether these clothes just made them look more authentic to tourists. I was happy to see in San Juan Chamula that all the women and young girls were wearing this same outfit. I saw very few people wearing Western clothes, often the men who travel outside the villages. I was assured by Raul that this was the traditional dress of Chamula. He explained that Chamula is known for wool products, used in the skirts, ponchos, and other clothing items. Raul informed us that we were not permitted to take photographs of the church, the celebrations, or the people, as they believe photographs steal your soul. I wish I would have been able to take pictures of the beautiful dress or the inside of the church, but it was important to be respectful. Raul let us know that the townspeople might demand to delete the photos or take your camera if you violated this request. One thing that I found odd was that a few people said we could take photos for 10 pesos (about 60 cents). Some tourists in our group took the residents of Chamula up on this offer. I understand that many of the townspeople are very poor, but all I could think was, "If they truly believe that photographs steal souls, did they just sell their souls for 10 pesos?" Rather than take photographs, Brett and I donated our pesos to the religious leader we visited, the Mayan woman who made us tortillas, and one of the churches we entered. After eating lunch in Chamula, we headed to San Lorenzo Zinacantán, also a Mayan village, also autonomous, but quite different from Chamula in many ways. Zinacantán is known for flowers and cotton, giving their traditional garb a different look than in Chamula. The women's skirts are cotton and the blouses and ponchos worn by the men have elaborate, colorful, floral embroidery covering them. I preferred the clothing in Zinacantán, probably because I love bright colors and thought the floral embroidery was incredibly beautiful. We started in one of the main churches of Zinacantán, this one recognized by the Vatican, as Zinacantán has become more assimilated to the outside culture than Chamula. In this town, as you might guess from the name, the patron saint is San Lorenzo. This church had elements that we saw in Chamula, such as statues of the saints around the inside, but also elements that you would see in a Catholic church in the United States: candles on tables instead of the floor and pews to sit on. After viewing the church, we walked to a local house, where the women of the house welcomed us. They showed us how they weave with a back-strap loom and made blue corn tortillas over a fire. We tried the corn tortillas, still hot from the fire, with ground pumpkin seeds wrapped inside. Before leaving, we examined the traditional clothing that they make by hand and were able to try on some pieces. I loved their beautiful embroidered shawls, but ultimately bought a handmade scarf that I knew I could wear more often. My simple scarf was also less expensive than the elaborately decorated blankets and shawls. I was pleased to learn that each woman keeps the money that she earns from weaving. When we wanted to buy an item, the girl or woman who made it was called to name the price, since she was the one who put in hours and weeks and months of work to craft the piece. If you are in San Cristobal de las Casas, you must do the Mayan villages tour. San Juan Chamula and San Lorenzo Zinacantán are distinct from the city of San Cristobal and offer a glimpse into a different culture. It is possible to catch a bus or taxi to these places, but you will miss out on key information, interesting stories, and meeting residents of the town without a knowledgable guide. Book with Alex y Raul Tours (250 pesos per person + guide tip) and you will be in good hands! Read more about our Chiapas trip with my blog posts about the Sumidero Canyon and San Cristobal de las Casas.
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To continue my series of blog posts about our trip to Chiapas, Mexico, I want to focus on our day trip to the Sumidero Canyon. The canyon is part of the Parque Nacional Cañón del Sumidero, a designated national park in Chiapas and the second most visited site in the state. The canyon itself is incredibly impressive, with sheer canyon walls towering a thousand feet above the boats on both sides. Your boat motors past crocodiles sunning themselves on the side of the river and into caves hollowed out of the cliffs. We paid 300 pesos (about $17) per person for a tour from San Cristobal de las Casas. The price included transportation to and from the canyon, the 2-3 hour boat ride, and a stop in the town of Chiapa del Corzo. I would comment on the tour operator, except it wasn't really a tour. It was more like transportation organization. The only thing that the "tour company" did was pick us up and drop us off, not even providing information as we drove. The real tour was provided by the boat operators in the Canyon. They drove the boat and spoke about the canyon, rock formations, and wildlife. The guides slowed down the boat to show us features of the canyon, such as the Cueva de Colores, which is a small cave that is named for the minerals that color the walls. Our tour was entirely in Spanish. Before we went to Sumidero Canyon, I read some online posts about the high levels of pollution in the canyon, including how much was visible to those on tour boats. While we were there, I noticed a few stray plastic bottles, floating in the river, but there was nothing on the riverbanks or in the plants. I took this as a positive sign and hope that it is the result of improved efforts to keep the national park clean and beautiful. The only bad news from the excursion is that I don't have a ton of photos because I was throwing up over the side of the boat. In one of those things that "just happens sometimes" when you travel, I was super sick the day we went to Sumidero Canyon. I woke up in San Cristobal with an upset stomach - from what, I haven't discerned. Altitude? Food? Mexican water somehow finding it's way into my body? The upset stomach was exacerbated by my motion sickness in the van to the canyon. I am basically always motion sick on moving vehicles. Sigh. Sometimes my body cannot keep up with my adventurous spirit. The motion sickness usually goes away when I get out of the car and I had taken anti-motion-sickness medicine (Dramamine, this girl's best friend), so I got on the boat. We pulled up near the first crocodile, I puked, and then I felt somewhat better. I was actually able to admire some of the canyon afterward. I didn't feel well enough to ask my cousin for an English translation, so I tuned out the guide and just enjoyed the wind in my face and the beautiful scenery. Tips for the Sumidero Canyon
Final ThoughtsThe Sumidero Canyon is absolutely worth a visit when you are in Chiapas. If, like me, you love nature and boat rides, then you will love this activity. Despite feeling miserable, I found the canyon walls beautiful. There are lookouts above the canyon for an overhead view, but there is something special about being down on the river with the cliffs rising around you. It's a feeling of being small compared with the awesome power of nature. And, to me, that is definitely worth the price! Read more about our Chiapas trip with my blog post about San Cristobal de las Casas and the Mayan Villages of San Juan Chamula and San Lorenzo Zinacantan!
What comes to mind when you think of Mexico? Sandy beaches? Tropical drinks? Handmade tortillas? Over Easter weekend, we traveled to Mexico and only experienced one of those....which was a great thing! My prior experience with Mexico was limited to resorts in the Yucatan, but, when my cousins suggested that we meet up with them in the state of Chiapas, we jumped at the chance! Though the beaches are beautiful, it was great to see a different facet of the country and experience some of the culture. We spent a long weekend in San Cristobal de las Casas, a mountain town located at 7200 ft. The state of Chiapas is located in the southwest of Mexico, bordering Guatemala. It is a mountainous region known for coffee growing and Mayan heritage, meaning that there is excellent coffee to try, Mayan ruins to explore, and a fantastic mix of Mexican and Mayan influence. San Cristobal is a colonial city with a cool, laid-back vibe and BEAUTIFUL scenery. I immediately loved the colorful buildings and the mountain views. If you are concerned about the safety of traveling to Mexico, note that there is no travel advisory for the state of Chiapas. I cannot emphasize this enough - I never felt unsafe in San Cristobal or Chiapas. Just follow common sense rules of travel and you should be fine. Getting ThereI can't lie - getting to San Cristobal was a process. We drove from Austin to San Antonio for our flight, since flights were significantly cheaper from San Antonio. We flew on Interjet, a Mexican low-cost airline that I highly recommend. Interjet flies to numerous locations in Mexico as well as limited international locations, including some US cities. On American carriers, we are accustomed to jamming as many people as possible on an airplane, bumping our knees on the seat in front of us and climbing over our neighbor's lap to get to the bathroom. Interjet reminded me of the "good old days" with plenty of leg room. Now, I am short so legroom doesn't affect me much, but my husband really appreciated it. All of our Interjet flights had friendly flight attendants and free chips as snacks. I can't remember the last time I got a snack on a flight operated by a US carrier. Overall, a pleasant experience, despite one delay out of four total flights. We flew San Antonio-Mexico City-Tuxtla Gutierrez. Tuxtla is the main airport for Chiapas, and, when you land, you have to catch a bus to San Cristobal de las Casas. It is only about 37 miles, but it's 37 miles on winding, mountainous roads, so it takes a little over an hour to climb the 5500 ft to San Cristobal. At the Tuxtla airport, we bought tickets on an OCC shuttle to San Cristobal for 210 pesos ($12) each. Buying bus tickets was simple, as the ticket counter was right by the baggage claim. The shuttle drops off at the OCC bus terminal in San Cristobal. From the bus station, we took a cab for 30 ($1.73) pesos to our accommodations. Exploring the City
Final ThoughtsI've read some other travel blogs that complain about the city being over-run by American hippies and expats rather than an authentic experience. I did not have this experience at all. We felt like the majority of the travelers roaming the city on Easter weekend were Mexican families. True, we saw some of the dreadlocks and granola bunch, but, at least when we visited, it was by no means a majority. Something that may have contributed to this was staying in an Airbnb rather than a hostel. By doing this, we encountered neighborhood inhabitants out for a stroll rather than backpackers looking for a place to crash.
Chiapas has the highest poverty rate in Mexico - over 70% of the residents live in poverty. As you walk the streets, you will be approached by many women and children selling handicrafts or begging. It is very difficult to say "No, gracias" to the small children. Usually their wares are inexpensive, though I have to admit that they all start to look the same. The women and teenage girls carry large piles of wool scarves/shawls that all have similar patterns, and many of the little children sell bracelets and small purses. San Cristobal de las Casas has a lot of character! I loved the colonial buildings, the bright colors, and the vibrancy of the city. We spent three days eating well, relaxing with local coffee, learning about Mayan culture, enjoying mountain views, and stumbling across new sights at every turn. For me, it was a new side of this diverse country. I would love to continue exploring Mexico's colonial cities in the future. Check back for more blog posts about our boat ride in the Sumidero Canyon, Easter Sunday in Mayan Villages, budget tips for travel to San Cristobal, and details about our itinerary! |
AuthorMy name is Alyssa Good and I have a passion for travel, adventure, culture, and new experiences! I focus on budget friendly travel, trip planning resources, and seeking out new experiences. Archives
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