Natural Wonders of Chiapas

I feel like I say this about every place I write about, but... I really love this place. No really. Chiapas is different than any other state I've visited in Mexico so far, environmentally and culturally. Although there are indigenous populations throughout Mexico, Chiapas is probably the heart of Mexico´s indigenous people. It was in Chiapas (in San Cristobal in fact) that the Zapatista rebellion started in 1994. The indigenous people organized and formed armed guerilla groups that took control of some of the towns in this state, including San Cristobal. They were fighting for more freedom, better representation and basic human rights like access to health care and education. The central issue to the EZLN (the Zapatista National Liberation Army) though was that they wanted more autonomy, more control over the land they live on, and the ability to govern themselves according to their own beliefs and customs.


The indigenous people here are of Mayan descent, and in culture and appearance are very similiar to the indigenous people of Guatemala. In fact, to me they are almost indistinguishable. One of the key points the Zapatista leaders made was that the colonization and subjugation of the indigenous people of Mexico began 500 years ago with the arrival of the Spanish, but for them it is still happening. They face constant pressure to give up their values, beliefs and traditional way of life as they become ever marginalized and left behind in modern Mexico. The Zapatista uprising brought these issues to the international stage. I only remember a little bit from when it was making news; since I was in college at the time, I was probably a little too self absorbed to really pay much attention to it though. The armed conflict between the Mexican government and the Zapatistas came to a close in about 2002, when various peace accords were finally ratified, giving the indigenous people much more autonomy within their own communities. It should be mentioned though, that after the initial year of uprising, by far the majority of the armed conflict was waged on the part of the Mexican government. The EZLN always strived the achieve a dignified peace through dissemintaion of information and involvement of the civil international community. After the accords in 2001, however the governments plans did little or nothing to address the staggering poverty and poor services that these communities continue to struggle with. I'm writing about this because I visited two of these indigenous villages this week, and their stories really made an impression on me.

First we visited the town of San Juan Chamula, which is inhabited by the indigenous Tzotzil Maya people. The town enjoys unique autonomous status within Mexico, which means the Mexican government must ask permission to meddle in their affairs. No outside police or military are allowed in the village. When we arrived, we were given strict instructions about when and how we are permitted to take pictures. Like many indigenous people, they believe that having their picture taken results in them losing part of their soul. As such, we were told not to take pictures of anyone close up without asking permission, and no pictures are allowed under any circumstances inside buildings of religious or political importance.



We visited a church, where they practiced a very unique blend of Catholicism and Mayan religions. When Chamula gained it's autonomy, the local priest (who was not indigenous) was kicked out, and they have since ran the church themselves. There aren't priests as we would think of them, but citizens take yearly turns to act as caretakers of the church and perform basic services for the people. There are no scheduled masses, but rather the church is a place on constant religious practice. From the outside, the church resembled a typical colonial church, but inside, it couldn't have been more different. The entire floor was covered with fresh pine needles, which gave it a fantastic fresh smell. Three of the walls were lined with glass altars containing various Saints in the Catholic tradition. When we visited there there about 30 people spread throughout the church kneeling on the floor (there are no pews or tables to speak of) praying at the various altars, or receiving medical and/or spiritual care. The holy men were attending the people, giving out candles, which the people burn on the floor (always in multiples of 3) according to their needs and prayers. Some of them brought eggs and even a chicken. These are used in healing ceremonies which the healers perform right there. I'm sure you can guess what happens to the chicken. Well, the priest (for lack of a better word) takes the chicken by the legs and passes it over the body of the person with the ailment. From what I understand, usually the chicken is used to treat injuries from accidents or ailments with sudden onset. As the chicken passes over the body, it is said to be absorbing the bad energies or spirits that are afflicting the person. When the procedure is complete, the priest breaks the neck of the bird, and then will bury it at the site that the injury or illness first occurred. In addition to this metaphysical sort of healing, the healers also administer more traditional methods, including application of poulstices of herbs, salts, fats and lemon juice for a cold for example. One of the other strange things I noticed while in the church was that all of the parishioners had a carbonated beverage of some sort. For some reason (no one seems to know exactly why, for sure), carbonated beverages, especially Coca-Cola and Pepsi, are believed to be help the cleansing of the spirit. (From what I could tell, this wasn't just an evil marketing ploy on the part of the softdrink makers). I really wish I could have taken some pictures inside the church, because my feeble words can't begin to describe what it was like. I felt very priviledged to have been allowed to witness it.




The second village we visited was Zinacantan. In Zinacantan, we also visited the town church, which was strikingly different. There were no pine needles on the floor, and it resembled a more traditional catholic church, though with the same abundance of altars and candles. After the church, we visited a family of textile weavers to see how a typical family lives. In many indigenous communities, women hold a position of prestige and power that is surprising. In most of the indigenous Mayan world, the communities each have a distinct identity, which is in part represented by the traditional clothes they wear. Each community has a specific pattern that identifies them as being from that particular community. For example, the women of Zinacantan all wear black cotton skirts with modest floral patterns embroidered near the waist. Their shirts are of a simple pattern (sometimes striped, sometimes plain with flowers), but most of the women adorn themselves with beautifully embroidered shawls of black, purple, green and iridescent blue. The women who maintain the traditional arts of weaving their unique intricate fabrics are especially revered. We were able to observe the matron of the family preparing fresh tortillas, which we were able to sample with a paste made from dried pumpkin seeds and homemade salsa. It was so good. I never would have thought a tortilla with pumpkin seeds would be so delicious. As a snack, we were served what appeared to be small black toasted seeds. Turned out they were huge ants that had been toasted on the 'comal' (used to cook the tortillas). I tried one, and I have to admit it was pretty good. It had a unique nutty taste, and was very crunchy. We washed our food down with posh, a sort of moonshine made from corn. Not so good. After, we were able to observe one of the young girls working the handloom and purchase some of their handiwork. It's so amazing to see the end product and see how little technology goes into their fabrication. And that they are using the same methods and traditions passed down over hundreds if not thousands of years.




After we arrived back in San Cristobal, I was left with such a sense of pride the people have. They live relatively simple lives, and they want to keep it that way. Sure, their lives are polluted by the inevitable machinations of modernity (many people in the towns have cars and cellphones), but for the most part they want to live in their communities, care for their families, live off the land, and hold on to their heritage. After seeing it all upclose, the bloody rebellion that took place not even 20 years ago, seemed to make a whole lot more sense. These are people who just want to be left alone to live their lives as they see fit, and in many ways they are no more Mexican than I am.