After a looooong night bus from Campeche, we finally arrived in San Cristobal. After our disappointing time in Campeche, we were hoping that all the good things we’d heard about San Cristobal were right. Happy to report we had good vibes from the off! Firstly, the temperature! Located in the Central Highlands state of Chiapas, the town is surrounded by mountainous terrain which meant that it was genuinely chilly. It was a perfectly mild, not humid 24’C. The relief of walking around and not sweating was very exciting to us. Our Airbnb was also perfect, simple and without frills but cool in a paired back concrete box kind of way. There were cool cafes in abundance, bakeries with genuinely fresh produce, and hippy filled bars and restaurants that we actually wanted to eat in. The town’s Spanish colonial layout has been well-maintained and is full of narrow cobblestoned streets, red tile roofs and wrought iron balconies over flowing with flowers. It is a lovely place to wander around and just take it all in. The Iglesia del Cerrito is a fun little church at the top of about 200 stairs. In typical Mexican fashion, there is a neon altar and a stained glassed window that has a chap that looks strangely like Mr Burns from the Simpsons. Around the corner was another little chapel that had locals silently rocking and chanting rituals. We later learnt that many of the locals were Mayan Catholics, so they're Catholic, but mixed with ancient indigenous adherents, rites and beliefs. Much of the city’s culture is associated with the municipality’s large indigenous population - primarily the making of textiles and amber products. We had great fun walking around many of the markets around town and even made a sneaky purchase myself (no idea how it will fit in my bag!), a beautiful embroidered skirt which I can’t wait to wear back home. We were also encouraged to buy directly from the market as opposed to buying from the shops in the high street as the shop's money goes straight to the wealthy landlords, whereas the market stall funds go straight to the producers. All about giving it back to those that have the skill to make it in the first place! The Textile Museum was also well worth a visit, Rob was at first reluctant but left feeling quite wowed by the incredible skills handed down through the generations as demonstrated in the museum's fantastic and interactive exhibitions. After having eaten so much Mexican fare and beginning to miss Asian food we opted for Asiarico7 restaurant, a real find and exactly what we were craving. Sushi made in front of us by a Japanese chef and a delicious ramen. Highly recommended! As we have done in most cities, we sought out a walking tour which we find is the best way to get to grips with the town and learn about the politics and history directly from a local. This tour was without a doubt our best so far, Carlos was such an enthusiastic, passionate, and very sweet guy. During the four hours we were with him, he talked about local Mayan medicines, took us to some of his favourite cafes and galleries, and showed us some of his favourite street art. Most interestingly however, he was an active member of the Zapatista movement so we gained an insider view on not only its development in history and the beliefs they hold but also what the current situation is. It was fascinating. As recently as 1994, the Zapatista Army took over San Cristobal along with six other Chiapas communities and declared war against what they felt was a corrupt Mexican state. Initially made up of mainly rural indigenous people, they fought for social equality and rejected political classification. They sought control over their local resources, especially the land the indigenous people had been forcibly removed from by the government. It was a movement that garnered international support, with people travelling from all over the world to fight with them. Without going into too much more detail, it is a very sad tale and many of the indigenous people are still displaced. After two decades of rejecting the Mexican electoral politics, they now have a candidate running for the 2018 general election. We left the tour feeling much more informed and sympathetic towards their ideology. We unfortunately had rather sleepless nights as the locals seemed to be into letting off fireworks at the crack of dawn. Thanks for that. We tossed and turned and jumped every five minutes whilst cursing whichever loon thought it was a fun idea to wake the whole town up at such an ungodly hour. We later however learnt that this was indeed a common behaviour as they are used to celebrate religious festivals. Why they have to celebrate at 5am is still beyond us.
Casa Na Bolom is also a highlight. It's the home of archeologist Frans Blom and his wife, Gertrude Duby Blom, a documentary photographer, journalist, environmental pioneer, and jungle adventurer. Now a museum and research centre it is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the protection of the Lacandon Mayan people and their cultures, as well as the preservation of the Chiapas rain forest which incidentally is now were the couple have been buried. The legendary Lacandon Maya are the only Maya never to have been conquered or converted by the Spanish. Comments are closed.
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AuthorsRob & Charlie's travelling adventures on their long journey back to London after living in Hong Kong. Four continents, twelve countries, lots of experiences. Archives
July 2017
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Robert Ware & Charlotte Nunn |