Winter Break I: Cañon de Sumidero, San Cristobal, San Juan Chamula

This year for winter break (Mexican government offices are closed from the 20th of December to the 6th of January), I headed south to the Mexican states of Chiapas and Tabasco, as well as a quick jaunt into northern Guatemala. Here is a map of the visited locations:

December 21st: We were a little late leaving Puebla due to traffic in Mexico City, but finally did arrive in Tuxtla-Gutierrez, the capitol of Chiapas, the following morning. While most of Chiapas is charming and cute, the town of Tuxtla leaves much to be desired. There are however, 2 worthwhile things to visit: the natural protected area the Cañon (Canyon) de Sumidero and the Tuxtla zoo that only features animals native to Chiapas. While it is possible to see the Cañon from above (bus) or below (boat), we opted for the boat trip. After leaving Chiapa de Corzo, you pass under a bridge, and not long after enter the canyon. Along the way there were great views of the steep canyon walls, crocodiles, and a rock formation/waterfall called the Christmas tree. The turn around point for the boat trip is a large reservoir for a hydroelectric dam, which is also the point where you find the food boat (we have yet to be on a boat in Mexico where a vendor boat doesn’t pull up along side at some point). While the canyon was beautiful, it was hard to ignore all the trash that has earned the canyon the nickname Cañon de Basurero (trash dump canyon).

December 22nd: We spent the next day wandering around San Cristobal with its cute cobblestone streets and red tiled roofs. Chiapas’ population is made up of a high percentage of indigenous people, mainly of Mayan decent. San Cristobal was also the center for the Zapatista rebellion which began Jan 1, 1994, so on our return visit to San Cristobal, we were actually there during the 15^th anniversary celebrations. San Cristobal is known for amber, traditional crafts, and good coffee. It’s pretty touristy, but that also means a nice break from Mexican food. Don’t get me wrong, I love Mexican food, but it’s nice for something else once and a while too. So here are some pictures from the sites around the city.

December 23rd: The 3^rd day was spent just outside of San Cristobal in a small town called San Juan Chamula and a community-run ecoreserve. San Juan Chamula is a small indigenous town that has gained fame for its church and the rituals that take place within. Things were pretty tame when we went in, but at other times there are sacrifices of live chickens or other such things. Photos are not allowed to be taken inside the church so I’ll try to describe as it is definitely the most unique church I have seen so far. As you walk in to the pewless church filled with smoke from the burning incense, the ground is covered in pine needles (on a tile floor this makes for some treacherous walking) and at various places on the floor, different people are gathered making rows and rows of lit candles that are stuck directly to the floor. There definitely seemed to be a fire risk. While the images of catholic saints and an altar are present, they have been pushed to the sides and appear to be secondary. There were some chickens roaming around, but all alive when we were there. It’s hard to explain, but the general idea is it is not your average catholic church.

Outside the church in the main plaza is a decent sized market, pretty standard for Mexico, but off to one side, on the edge of the municipal building was a corridor strictly for the sale of chickens, which was kinda neat (unless you have an avid fear of bird flu).

And in keeping with our norm, we visited the cemetery just on the outskirts of town. Visiting Mexican cemeteries can sometimes be an interesting and difficult thing to do. Often, as in this one, it’s not clear where to walk without possibly stepping directly where someone is buried and since you tend to lease and not buy your plot in Mexico, the bodies aren’t generally buried that deep.

On the side of the road back to San Cristobal is a small community run ecoreserve called Huitepec. It’s not a long hike (only about 2.5km), but takes you up to some cloud forest and is a great example of community and NGO protection of natural areas.