Indigenous villages, medicinal plants, highlands..
Trip Start
Jan 26, 2008
1
91
105
Trip End
Ongoing
San Cristobal de las Casas,
Central Mexico and Gulf Coast,
Mexico
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
The town of San Cristobal is georgous, with markets, a main plazas, very Antigua/Cuzco like.
We visited the markets, which offers loads of crafts and vegetables and fruits. We went to a traditional museum showing how the Mayas give birth and use plants to cure their illnesses.
On our second day, we visited the two indegenous villages of San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan. We learnt how the community works, what are their believes and how they live their day to day life. We entered the church, which is very different than what a catholic church would be: no benches, loads of candles on the floor, no priest but people coming whenever they want to pray with their family, no mass, no confessional rooms. The Chistian church comes to visit these people on a regular basis to try to convert them, they spent a lot of money translating the bible in the Maya language, they told people they could not believe in what they wanted because praying for a God made of wood is not possible, they regularly hand out flyers to them praising Jesus and almost inslting their God. The Indegenous keep trying to make them understand that they should not change their belives, that everyone is free to pray for who they want. Themselves would never travel to try to change peopleīs mind. Although i knew that this is what the church employs this kind of ways to convert people, i was shocked to discover their behaviour with the Mayas.
We also went around the markets, entered a house of one of the chiefs of the town, and were told that people here only live among themselves and donīt accept anyone else but indegenous in the village. They have their own law regarding the sentences of people committing crimes (the rate is very low). Whenever they get married, it is always the woman following the man, never the contrary.
In the second village, Zinacantan, the laws are less stricts and anyone can go and live there. There is a catholic church as well as their own. We entered the house of a family that cooked tortillas for us and witnessed tribunal session: some men are mediators, and on each side of the room, the people discuss a solution to the problem. When they come to suitable conclusion for everyone, they all have a drink together.
On the last day in San Critobal, we went to visit the caves of the "Rancho Nuevo"near the town, a natural geologic formation. We went horse riding for a short while and slid like kids the rest of the morning.
I nthe afternoon, we picked up our bags left at the hotel and took a bus to Arriaga, a town about 4 hours away on our way to Oaxaca.
