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Lento, Pero Avanzo
Entry 5 of 16 | show all | print this entry |
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Notes for other backpackers:
Where to stay: I stayed at the Backpacker's Hostal. They have dorms and double rooms. There's a kitchen with a fridge and storage space. There's also a tv and a selection of low-quality pirated movies. The staff is nice and they will hook you up with tours and Spanish lessons. And if you like to burn trash, you'll love the nightly bonfire!
Where to eat: I cooked my own food. Near the hostel is a market and you can buy lots of yummy vegetables.
Other stuff: Casa del Arbol has great Spanish classes.
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Hello from the chilly little colonial town of San Cristobal de las Casas! I´ve been here for a week taking Spanish classes at Las Casa del Arbol. Since I´m in school, I´ve just been playing house around town...buying groceries at the market, studying in cafes, buying school supplies, etc. And though I´ve haven´t eaten anything strange, animals continue to play an unexpected role in my travels.
San Cristobal is in the Chiapas state in the south of Mexico. This state is home to the Zapatistas, and the area is thick with jungled mountains. The town is pretty prosperous and has a chill hippy vibe. It takes about 18 hours to get here from Mexico City, so visitors tend to be more ¨traveler¨ and less ¨tourist.¨
From Oaxaca, I caught an overnight bus to San Cristobal Monday evening. My guide-book warned that Mexican bus- drivers tend to be overgenerous with the a.c., and I really wish I had taken that more to heart. There is no way to describe how friggin´cold that bus was. And even though I was able to doze, I kept waking up as soon as my body temperature dropped or whenever the bus lurched around a mountain curve.
As soon as I got to San Cristobal, I headed to the Backpacker´s Hostel, which seems to be pretty popular. It´s cheap ($6.50 USD for a bed), and there´s a bonfire each night it doesn´t rain.
I guess I´ve have to get used to the rain as it is the beginning of the rainy season. There are almost daily flash floods in the afternoon, and sometimes with hail. If you´re outside when the clouds start brewing, it´s best to start hatching an escape plan. Usually, people just duck into the closest store and wait it out. Right now the rains are only 30 minutes long, but I´ve heard that, later in the season, it just rains all day.
Just outside San Cristobal is a little town called San Juan Chemula that is home to folks who practice unique religious rituals that mix Catholic and Mayan traditions...specifically imbibing and offering Coca-Cola as a way to rid oneself of evil spirits.
Walking into the church, there are no pews and the floor is covered with green hay. When folks come to worship, they make a clearing in the hay and place numerous (about 40) candles in front of themselves. Many just sit there and chant in Tzotzil (the local Mayan language), pausing only to take a breath. Everyone brings a bottle or two of Coke (or another soda) and little glasses either to drink out of or to splash Coke on the ground. They drink Coke in this context because it makes you burp, thereby releasing bad spirits.
When I went to the church, I was ready for the Coke, but the chickens were a complete surprise. Every now and then, someone would take a hen out of a bag, "sweep" it over the candles and a person. They would then stand up and break its neck by swinging it around by its head. This ritual is done for a person who is sick, and it must be repeated daily for 9 days. If it doesn´t work, you have to come back a week later and do it for another 9 days. After the cleansing ritual, the hen is either buried or thrown into the canyon. since it is full of bad spirits and dangerous to eat.
My other big adventure was a visit to one of the nearby Zapatista autonomous villages. The Chiapas is a resource-rich region that contains vast oil deposits as well as supplies Mexico with most of its hydroelectric power. The region is also one of the poorest. Not only do the Maya continue to experience systematic oppression, but they do not benefit from the richness of their own land. Instead, they are displaced.
Among the many oppressed indigenous groups throughout the world, the Zapatistas stand out as a group that has consistently refused to relinquish power. They demand 11 things: work, land, housing, food, health care, education, independence, freedom, democracy, justice, and peace. And since they have not recieved this from the government, they have come together to reclaim their ancestral lands and provide for themselves.
In the Chiapas are 5 Caracoles, or autonomous Zapatista centers. (Caracole means snail in Spanish and symbolizes their slow and steady progress.) They refuse government funding and have their own government system, elementary through high school education, and health care. The Zapatista hospital even accomodates surgery! The Zapatistas reject capitalism and instead use a barter system to trade within the community.
Most interesting is the group´s emphasis on the collective, which starkly contrasts with the West´s love of the individual. Zapatistas cover their faces with ski masks or red bandanas. The purpose is two-fold: to protect their identities (as Mexican para-military continues to wage a quiet war) and to symbolize egalitarianism. They silence their voices to be heard, and they cover their faces to be seen.
The Zapatistas also reject western notions of democracy. They refuse to participate in and perpetuate Mexico´s representative democracy which they feel is heirarchitical and therefore not really democratic. The Zapatistas argue that, if you choose one person to represent others, you are effectively placing that person above the others. This squashes equality and is therefore unjust. In their collective, Zapatistas limit government terms to 2 weeks and involve all companeros in decision-making until they reach consensus.
So, my visit. Upon arriving to the Caracole Oventic, you first walk up to a locked gate guarded by a young girl with a red bandana covering her face. She takes your passport to a little office, and if everything´s ok, you can come in. Before you are allowed to wander, you have to visit three offices, and in each they ask you your name, occupation, party-affiliation, and visit purposes. Finally, you are given a little piece of paper with your info and allowed to wander.
The Caracole was nothing but a row of buildings, and nobody really lives there. Instead, people take turns working the women´s craft-coop´s, in government offices, and doing special projects. Also in town is a large secondary boarding school.
The coolest part of the town are the amazing murals that cover all the buildings and relay the Zapatistas´ political or philosophical messages. Many feature corn, Maya in ski masks, the face of Emiliano Zapata, or excerpts from speeches by Subcomandant Marcos, their spokesperson. Surrounded by such a strong and clear message, I was just enamoured. The Zapatistas have done such an amazing job of using their voice that their cause is championed by numerous international organizations who contribute to the group and advocate for their fair treatment.
So, now it is onward to Guatemala. I seriously considered staying with the Zapatistas for a few days. But, I only have 2 months left, and I know the time will just fly by. Also, I would like to have a little Spanish immersion, and since the Zapatistas speech Spanish as a second language, I´ll move on.
To be honest, I knew nothing about the Zapatistas before coming here. I just had a vague impression that they were some sort of para-military terrorist group. If I´ve changed your opinion about them at all, what do you think now?
Latest Comments (4)
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Didn't know! (reply)
Jun 16, 2007 19:41 EST by gingwilliams
You just taught me about this group of people. I'm not sure that I have ever heard of them before. They do sound interesting and sounds like you are exploring and learning a lot.
Ginger
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Didn't know! (reply)
Jun 16, 2007 19:41 EST by gingwilliams
You just taught me about this group of people. I'm not sure that I have ever heard of them before. They do sound interesting and sounds like you are exploring and learning a lot.
Ginger
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Re: Uh... (reply)
Jun 15, 2007 16:22 EST by jodi_nelan
You said it, sister!
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In reply to:
I can't say that I knew of the Zapatistas before (perhaps I've been under a rock), so I have no answer for your question. I think we all just want a fair chance and some people get a bad rap for demanding it.
Sounds like you trip is going well. I hope to hear more soon!
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Uh... (reply)
Jun 15, 2007 05:31 EST by kelley
I can't say that I knew of the Zapatistas before (perhaps I've been under a rock), so I have no answer for your question. I think we all just want a fair chance and some people get a bad rap for demanding it.
Sounds like you trip is going well. I hope to hear more soon!
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