I am just back from another holiday this year and it is nearly the end of May so I thought it is high time to keep up with my writing of the one travel story that I have been publishing each month since last 2 years or so as per the suggestion of a very close friend.
I decided to write this month’s travel story about my first travel of 2023 to Mexico. Though I visited quite a few places in Mexico I will try to keep this short and focus on one area which I found beautiful, different and something which made me stop for a while and think. My trip started in Mexico City and I travelled to Tuxtla, San Cristobal, Palenque, Campeche, Merida, Chichen Itza on to Playa del Carmen. It was an exceptional trip and the weather was gorgeous.
I have chosen to write about San Cristobal and its surrounding villages in this travel story. San Cristobal de las Casas is a small colonial and indigenous town in the central highlands region of the Mexican state of Chiapas. This beautiful town lies in the valley surrounded by the mountains.
I reached San Cristobal quite late in the evening and the city being located at an altitude of 2210 mts felt quite chilly. The streets to the town centre are lined with shops selling local products, cafes and restaurants. After a light dinner it was time to retire for the night on my hotel bed under three blankets. Yes! the temperature can drop dramatically at night.
The next morning I went on a tour to the nearly village of San Juan Chamula. This is an indigenous village around 10 kms from San Cristobal de las Casas at an altitude of 2200 m. The village is inhabited entirely by indigenous Tzotzil Maya people who speak the Tzotzil language. The village has an autonomous status within Mexico with its own police force where no outside police or military are allowed.
The village market is a lively place with vendors selling everything from fruits to handicrafts. The day I visited was a Sunday and the village was buzzing with its Sunday market. Villagers selling fresh produces, handicrafts, locally made clothings were everywhere along with the sound and chaos of a local market.
The original church of San Juan Chamula is now in ruins so a new one has been constructed where local people goes to pray. It is this church which is something I have never experienced before. Photography inside the church is strictly prohibited so I cannot share any. But I will write about it and hope to be able to express the atmosphere within. Perhaps it was also a good thing to keep the phone or camera away and soak in the surroundings.
The villagers at San Juan Chamula practice a blend of Christian and traditional Maya beliefs. The village church of is totally unique. It has no pews, nor any priest delivering sermons. People sit on carpets of pine boughs to pray. They lit candles, burn copal resin incense, offer food which can include fruits, vegetables and/or meat, drinks. There were even bottles of Coca Cola used as offerings. It was a very different but soul filling experience.
The sides of the church is lined with statues of patron saints with candles lit in front. The smell of incense on earthen burners fill the air with a distinctive smell which can sometimes feel a bit overpowering if you are not used to it. The strange connection which I found in this church is that in India we use similar earthen burners called ‘dhunochi’ and resin incense ‘dhuno’ during the festival of Durga Puja in the state of West Bengal.
The next village on my tour was Zinacantan and the only church in the village is again unique of its own kind. The entire church is decorated by fresh flowers which are all done by villagers with flowers grown in their own gardens. What exquisite decorations they were with the smell of fresh flowers. Again no photography is allowed inside the church. I was completely overwhelmed by these two places during my visit as I have never experienced any such thing before during any of my travels.
I visited one of the houses in the village where a local lady made fresh tortillas in the traditional way using a grindstone and roller which we also use in India called ‘sil batta’. It was great to enjoy the hot tortillas straight out of the pan cooked using firewood. The altar inside the house was decorated with many photos and icons.
The Tzotzil people retain much of their Maya culture, customs and language. They are well known for their bright and colourful weaves from clothes, bags to table clothes and many other items. I saw some local weavers making traditional garments and there was also option to buy these colourful items.
Back from the villages, I spent a leisurely afternoon walking through the streets of San Cristobal and enjoyed some of its sights. San Cristobal is well known for its Spanish colonial architecture, the San Cristobal Cathedral, Del Carmen Arch and its open air market near the town square.
The historic centre of San Cristobal is laid out with narrow cobblestone streets, houses with red clay tiles, wrought iron balconies. The facade designs includes Baroque, Neoclassical to Moorish. The shops are filled with local goods and handicraft items.
In and around the town centre there are many cafes and restaurants serving different cuisines to cater to tourists. On street corners there are food . vans preparing fresh crepes served with variety of fillings or marquesitas which is a local dessert of Yucatan region. It is a crepe which rolled is like a taco and filled with caramel, condensed milk, jam, chocolate or edam cheese. These are one of the best places to enjoy a dessert have a nice meal.
It was a beautiful day spent in the town and villages and the next day I travelled to Palenque from here. I will write more about the other places of my Mexico travel sometime hopefully soon while the memories are still fresh.
HELPFUL HINTS
- San Cristobal is a short drive from Tuxtla airport.
- The weather can get quite cold so warm clothes are essential during the winter months.
- The town is best explored on foot.
- The indigenous villages of San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan are about 10 kms from San Cristobal.
- It is advisable to check with the villagers before you photograph them.
- There are big fines if you are spotted taking photos inside any village churches.
- Other sights to explore in San Cristobal are Casa Na Bolom (the House of the Jaguar) and the Kakaw museum.
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