Mexico 2012 RV Trip - Day 44 - February 8, 2012 San Cristobal

The rain started last night and continued throughout the day. We decided to go ahead with our plans to visit the Mayan villages of Zinacantán and San Juan Chamula. We took the scooter into the main square and booked our tour for $200 pesos each ($16USD). The woman in the office told us it was an “English” only tour. HA! There were 10 of us on the tour – 2 guys from France, and 3 Spanish speaking couples. The Spanish explanations were twice as long as the English. Oh well.

First, we were taken to the village of Zinacantán. When the Spanish arrived in Mexico in the 1600s, they forced the Mayans to convert to the Catholic religion. Many of the people rebelled against conversion, and some of that rebellion still continues. The area around Zinacantán is where the Zapatista rebels were, and are, actively trying to maintain Mayan rights.

Our tour stopped at the “house” of one family.

We were shown how they weave the cloth then they embroider designs on the fabric. Purple is the most popular color in Zinacantán. After the weaving demonstration, we had plenty of time to browse. Tobey isn’t that tall, but he looked like a giant compared to these women!

   

Many of the Mayans do not want you to take their pictures. They believe that when you capture their image, you are taking part of their soul away. This group of people allows pictures and is a regular stop on the tour route. Our guide, Carlos, also explained many of the religious beliefs and that the Mayans wore crosses as early as 1500BC. They then showed us how they make tortillas by hand and we had tortillas with avocados, beans, ground pumpkin seeds, and cheese. It was a nice treat.

From Zinacantán we were taken to the village of San Juan Chamula. The people in Chamula are a different indigenous group and have different beliefs and clothing designs than those in Zinacantán. In Chamula, the people wear a kind of sheepskin skirt or jackets. Our guide told us that the people of Chamula are exempt from taxes in Mexico and do not participate in Daylight Savings Time.

Chamula still has a rigid religious and social structure. The religion is Catholic with very strong influences from the traditional Mayan religious practices and structures. Only Chamulans can live in the village and if a Chamulan becomes Protestant or doesn't follow the norms of the village they are essentially excommunicated from the village and can never return. Chamulans practice endogamy, and, therefore, marriage is forbidden with anyone outside San Juan Chamula, even with the Mayans in nearby Zinacantán. An interesting fact is that Coca Cola and Pepsi are replacing pox, a kind of rum that was consumed and used as a religious offering.
We were allowed to take pictures outside of the church, but it was strictly forbidden to take photos inside the church. Carlos told us that their church is more like a hospital, it is a place of healing. The tile floor is covered with pine needles and the Natives come and clear sections of the pine needles then place candles in the clearing. They light the candles and chant and conduct their prayer ceremonies. There were thousands of candles lit in the church. It was quite interesting, but we felt a little strange watching their prayers.

We were back to the RV by 3pm and the rain continues. It is cold and wet, about 45°.
GPS 16.73394°N, 92.62205°W, Elev. 6996’