Traditional Medicine in San Cristóbal

Traditional medicine is experiencing a resurgence in San Cristóbal. The Museum of Mayan Medicine is dedicated to collecting and recording techniques of indigenous healers in the highlands around the area.  We watched a fascinating video on traditional childbirth as practiced in the region. 

This museum display shows the father's involvement; he supports the mother while the midwife guides the delivery from behind.

The museum highlighted a campaign to discourage the drinking of Coca Cola but it is an uphill battle considering how intertwined it is in local culture.

The most interesting part for me was the small building behind the museum where medicines are concocted and people can meet with a curer and buy those medicines.  They have an international  volunteer program if you are interested.

We also visited the office and home of Dr. Sergio Castro, an incredible humanitarian who was trained as a veterinarian and sent from his home in northern Mexico to complete volunteer work in Chiapas 45 years ago.  He has since dedicated his life to helping the indigenous populations of Chiapas.  Such a beautiful man.

In gratitude, and in lieu of money, many patients have given him their exquisite traditional dress which he has displayed in his home.  We were fortunate to find him there.

He says that right now their most pressing medical problems are  burn injuries and
foot injuries related to diabetes since they walk so much.

Next: Shopping!

Places to eat in San Cristóbal, Chiapas

High on my list of things to do is sitting at one of the many sidewalk restaurants; there are several major walking streets which encourage sidewalk cafes and people watching. This cafe is Argentinian and rather a splurge but later we found they have a small torta (sandwich) shop around the corner. Yum.

Breakfast is a special pleasure for us and Chiapas definitely has tasty coffee; we brought home a kilo of beans. This particular restaurant, Madre Tierra, had the absolute best mandarin orange marmalade anywhere.  I loved the fresh fruit, fresh orange juice, coffee and eggs, but all I really wanted was the marmalade.  There was a small shop attached but they didn't have any jars left. 

A not-to-be missed restaurant in the center of town is TierrAdentro, part of a Zapatista cooperative with craft and souvenir shops, coffee sales and music. The menu, which included carefully prepared Mexican dishes and amazing pizza, was excellent each time we ate there. The restaurant draws plenty of tourists who want to have the Zapatista experience.  The  movement still exists and Zapatistas control many cooperative villages.

This painting in the entrance to TerrAdentro summarizes the melding of the Zapatista way of life with crossed bandaleros and a scarf covering the face of the beatific Guadalupe.

Next: Traditional medicine

San Juan Chamula, Chiapas

First up was a visit to San Juan Chamula. We had visited last year but this time we decided we needed a guide.  We found a knowledgeable, articulate young man from the area who did his best to convey the complex history and customs of the town about 6 miles outside of San Cristóbal.

We learned, for example, that most of the residents of the area are of direct Mayan descent and that there are at least 6 distinct Mayan languages spoken in the area.  The pine boughs and colorful symbols on this cross and the addition of a soda bottle and Christ figure in this cemetery represent the the blend of Catholic and Mayan traditions.

I had never seen a cemetery where there were multiple burials, as shown by the number of crosses within the same plot.  

 

The church itself incorporates the same symbolism as on the cross above with the colorful flower and butterfly images surrounding the entrance.

 

No photographs are allowed within the church, and in fact you could be arrested if you attempt to take photos of people so best to keep your camera tucked away, except for church and cemetery long-shots.

Inside the church there are no pews or altar and the floors are covered in pine boughs.  Ancient cloth and ribbon draped statues of the saints surround the interior while tiny candles the length of my finger burn in rows on the floor. Clouds of incense billow around bottles of soda (mostly Coca Cola) which is drunk symbolically to exorcise the bad spirits through burping.  At times, chickens are slaughtered, although we didn't see this.  Yes, it is hard to explain because it is so different from anything I have experienced but the overall feeling within the church is spiritual and extremely moving.

The social network of the town is collective. There is no external military presence because Chamula has it's own police force.  While we were there we watched the community arrive at a decision.

The men gathered in and in front of the central gazebo while the women observed from the rear. There were multiple speeches until a man with a CocaCola laden dolly appeared.  Cokes were passed around, people seemed to agree on the decision and they rapidly dispersed to waiting trucks to return to their homes.  Chamula justice in action.

A close look at the 3 women observing the meeting in the left center of the above photo shows that their skirts are actually sheep skins, the traditional skirt of choice.  

This woman in the market in San Cristóbal wears hers belted and wrapped in the traditional style.   Men mostly wear jeans and shirts but for official occasions they may wear long sheepskin vests.

This little girl, from a nearby village, wears a typical hand embroidered blouse of the region.  Girls this young often wear the sheepskin skirts as well.

San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas

Aaah, SanCristóbal. You are so inviting that we ended spending a week and then some. (We forgot it was leap year and had an extra day!)

Our hotel, Hacienda Los Morales, was perched above the city

 with a 180 degree view and no need to close the drapes.

The other nice feature was a fireplace, as it was definitely cold at night. For 50 pesos (about $4), the cost of wood, staff would build a fire.

And the bed was colorful and comfortable.

Good way to spend a week for 400 pesos a night (about $35)

Next up...what else we did in San Cristóbal and nearby.

Palenque Ruins to San Cristóbal

We spent a pleasant morning exploring the ruins at Palenque on our own since we had a guide when we visited last year.  Our hotel was walking distance from the park entrance so we were able to beat the crowds by arriving early.  With our Mexican over-60 ID cards our entrance was free, as is every other national archaeological site and museum.  Thank you Mexico.

This was Bryan's favorite view: sitting on one pyramid overlooking the others. 

The next morning we hopped on a comfy OCC first class bus for the 5 hour ride to San Cristóbal de las Casas.  You can reserve seats in advance and we were able to get the front two seats for a great view of our professional driver in his suit coat and tie and the winding roads through the jungle.

The road is so remote that there are no gas stations, only shops that sell gas from plastic containers.

Our trip took us past the Parque Agua Azul which we had also visited last year.  The water really is blue!

 We passed roadside stands selling handmade sweaters and fruit in inviting displays,

traveling through the heart of Zapatista Country!

Flores to Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico

We left early the next morning on a tourist bus heading to Palenque in Chiapas.  On this map where I indicate "approximate route" it is because there wasn't really a road.  It was more like a dusty rut for the first several hours until we arrived a the Usumacinta River which marks the border between Mexico and Guatemala.  There is no bridge.

At the bottom of a muddy bank, this lovely little boat was waiting for us to cross into Mexico.  We were a happy group of travelers for the 20 minute crossing to Frontera Corozal.

From the landing in Mexico we piled into taxis which took us to a Mexican immigration building and then to the bus station in the village were we piled into a "collectivo,"  the local means of travel.  This 12 person van picks up anyone along the 2 hour ride who flags it down.  Believe me when I say it could hold more than 12 passengers.  This was my favorite part of this leg of the trip just for the entertainment of people watching.  One farmer got on with his extremely long machete and, with an apologetic smile, carefully slid it under his seat.

We arrived in Palenque and, since we had visited this place last year, we knew exactly where we wanted to go: Cheto's Cabanas just outside the gate of the archaeological site. They had a room for us and we slept, wakened occasionally by the ferocious sound of howler monkeys in the trees above us.

Flores, Guatemala

After a few more days of Island Living, we took a 1 1/2 hour water taxi to Belize City and hopped on a mini-bus for the trip across Belize and into Guatemala.

The bus looks much better on the outside than the inside as it takes travelers on the 5 hour trip through Guatemala every day.  Immigration between Belize and Guatemala took over an hour, three different lines, and random payments but we made it to Flores before sunset..

On an island in Lake Petén Itzá, Flores is connected to the mainland by a causeway. Our hotel led directly to the esplanade where it took about 15 minutes to stroll completely around the island.  We stopped for a lovely sunset meal overlooking the lake.

Transport by boat is readily available

and we watched the locals celebrate the balmy evening by leaping over a low wall into the lake.

 Our main reason for stopping in Flores was to visit the ruins of Tikal, about an hour away.  The next morning we left at 5am to avoid the heat of the day and arrived amidst the fog.

Tikal is not as excavated and restored as most of the ruins we have visited and the pyramids were spread through the dense jungle.  We even ran across this jungle dweller. How brave am I?

Island Life

From San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye we took a 1/2 hour ride in a water taxi to the tiny coral isle of Caye Caulker. First stop was to find the lovely Lena's Guest House where they had a room available.

The view from our porch sums up the pace of the village; the main transportation methods are boats, golf carts, bicycles and on foot.

Roads are unpaved and few, as this map shows. Snorkeling on the Belize Barrier Reef is just a short boat ride offshore.

Before the growth of tourism, conch and lobster fishing was the major industry. Lobster traps were stacked all over.

 Now there are laid-back mini-marts like Chan's (they apparently deliver when they are open)

and laundry services.

By far, the most popular island industry seems to be Happy Hour.

and my personal favorite.

Happy Hour from 4pm 'till Everybody Happy.

FYI, a Panti Rippa is favorite of former Peace Corps Volunteers in Belize.  A sneaky drink with coconut rum and pineapple juice, it is considered by some to be the national cocktail of Belize.