Dia de los Muertos y mucho mas

Trip Start Aug 15, 2007
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Trip End Aug 31, 2008


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Flag of Mexico  ,
Monday, November 5, 2007

San Cristobal is an amazing place and the best city we've experienced thus far on the trip. We lapped up the Mexican food we had been craving. The indigenous culture is very much alive in Chiapas and the artisan craft rivals and in some instances surpasses that of Guatemala. It's a perfect city to stroll through the pedestrian corridors and just take in the Chiapas life. There are great museums including: the Na Bolom, which Danish archaeologist Frans Blom established in the 50´s to promote knowledge about the Lacandones; and the Mayan Medicine Museum, which educates outsiders about the plants, animals, birthing and prayer of the Mayan people.
 
Our goal was to be in Mexico for Dia De Los Muertos or Day of the Dead, a holiday celebrated mainly in Mexico with variations in other Latin American countries. November 1st and 2nd are the primary days of celebration. Participants believe that death is a special occasion and want to celebrate the passing of their loved ones San Cristobal de las Casas
San Cristobal de las Casas
 . They usually clean and decorate their graves and spend the day at the cemetery talking, drinking and eating. It's roots are from the ancient civilizations of the Mayans and other indigenous peoples.

There is plenty of decoration and celebrating in San Cristobal for Day of the Dead, but most people choose to visit the indigenous villages on the outskirts in order to get a true taste of the holiday. We went to San Lorenzo Zinacantán, a small hillside village scattered around a central church. The churches in these villages are usually white with a decorative pastel motif on the facade, and this church was no exception. The interior was adorned with a plethora of flowers; pine needles were scattered on the floor; bold colorful drapery hung on both sides of the nave; incense was in the air; and candles lined the floor in various colors.

The town was empty when we arrived and we were told everyone was already at the cemetery. We asked directions from several people and received a variety of answers from a 10 minute walk to 1.5 hours. We started in the general direction and hitched a ride from a local after about 15 minutes. He was on is way with his son and they were dressed in the traditional costume of the Zinacantán. The men wear ponchos and pantaloons and the women shawls with a skirt At Night
At Night
 . The ponchos and shawls are embroidered with large flowers in bold blue, turquoise and mauve coloring with silver outline. Some men where black hats with brightly colored ribbons dangling around the brim.

We weren't sure what to expect but when we crested the steep hill our eyes were in amazement. The entire town must have been perched on the top of this hillside cemetery, all dressed in their traditional garb (a sea of blues, turquoises, mauves and blacks), congregating around their family grave sites, passing the bottle and just enjoying each others company. The clouds were low that day and they passed just through the cemetery...being the only Westerners there, we just found a bench and enjoyed the view.
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Comments

vermaakjeanne
vermaakjeanne on Aug 7, 2008 at 01:57PM

Traveling across Mexico
Been great reading through your Mexican travels. A friend and I are planning on traveling from Mexico City to Cancun in October. However, we only have 2 weeks in which to do the trip. Would love to know what your thoughts are on Mexico City and what advice you could give on where you would/wouldn't have spent more time in Mexico.

Thanks
- Jeanne

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