San Cristobal De Las Casas

March 2, 2009

San Cristobal, Chiapas is a city in the center of the Mexican Sierra Madre. The surrounding steep and rocky mountains hold about sixty small villages in this district. Each has its own pride, sense of community, and special customs. Many groups of 4 or 5 speak their own dialects or languages. Our tour takes us to two of these. One is an extreme in its individuality, the other is more typical. They are (in order) Chamula and Zincantan.

Chamula

Indigenous people of Chamula have no knowledge of their roots, other than that they were created from corn. Their legends however seem to come strait from the Mayan Bible even though they deny a Mayan heritage. An abandoned 16th century church stands as a roofless shell with no charter, no history, and no meaning to the town other than as a marker for the cemetery.

The church on the town square is another story. They know when it was built (more or less) and when they chased off the Spaniards who built it. The church is full of Catholic Saints' Icons. Christ is just another icon here. Each icon has its day. Each icon makes the tour of the town for each fiesta. Icons are assumed to have powers and receive prayers and offerings from those in gratitude or need.
We paid a few pesos each to enter the church. We were asked to remove hats and informed that no photography of any kind is permitted in the building. People set up and light typically 5 to 50 candles on the stone floor and chant while they burn. Spiritual and medical advice comes from shamans often in the form of a prescription for herbs or prayers or offerings. Shamans may perform rites for people at their homes or at the church. While we were visiting the church we noted a shaman lady waiting for a client with a chicken in her lap. The chicken was apparently to be offered to one of the saints at the church, and the remains buried at the home of the shaman's client.

Men volunteer time to maintain the church. The floors must be covered with pine straw and refreshed once a week. The pine straw keeps evil spirits away. Men sweep regularly, keep candles from causing fires and scrape the wax puddles from the stone floor. Men consider it a duty and honor to donate time to the cause.

The sanctuary is also a storage place for icons (on display in glass cases) with tables for candles and for their litters for processions. The sanctuary is a huge open space since there are no pews in the church; simply open space, Icons in their glass-front cabinets, and stacked litters .
Each icon has a caretaker. Someone in the community is appointed (by the previous year's caretaker) to the title of Mayordomo. Mayordomo maintains the icon and its wardrobe, and sees to its appearances at each fiesta parade. An alter is kept publicly open for prayers to the saint and smoky incense-clouded prayer services are performed daily. Fresh bromilliads, pine straw, offerings and wardrobe are kept up at these shrines, but the icons themselves are left in the church.

Sometimes a Mayordomo offers up his own home for the shrine. Sometimes the shrine is in an extra home of a benefactor.

Sacraments such as marriage don't happen in Chamula. Men and women cohabit with no contract expressed or expected. They are a polygamous people. A priest comes to the church once a year to do baptisms and maintain the Christ icon.. No other sacraments are requested or offered at the church. When other priests tried they were run off by the town's people for disrespecting their church and their ways. Chamula is not a Catholic town.

We visited the home of the Mayordomo of San Juan Bautista, the patron saint of Chamula. Mayordomo was at work, but His wife, the Mayordoma was tending the shrine. In honor of our presence she filled the house with pine pitch incense and set about lighting over fifty candles. We all sat around the perimeter of the room while our guide explained the Mayordomo system.

Mayordoma was preparing for the 11:AM prayers. She offered a glass of pex (pronounced “Pesh”) - a fermented cane sugar distillate. Many of us shared the liquor. The Mayordoma (through the tour guide) thanked us for coming. We asked, and were shown a dish on the alter where many of us left a few coins for St. John.

The market in the square was bustling and vibrant. Men in black wool tunics (looking much like flocati rugs) and white straw hats congregated for conversation. Women tended wares in black wool dresses and colorful wool shawls. These ample shawls cover shoulders, arms and head. Many women go barefoot. Our guide commented that while they may look impoverished, they are intentionally dressing in the honored style of the proud women of Chamula. The image of a destitute woman fades when she answers the cell-phone in her pocket.
Zincantan

Less than 10 miles from Chamula is another village named Zincantan. Zincantan is a city that lives by the production of cut flowers greenhouses abound. Their market has grown to become international. As one might expect, Zincantan is a considerably more open town. Their artisans involve their love for flowers and colors in embroidered motifs on clothing and other household wares. They weave mats, runners and shawls on small looms. They also embroider other weavers' fabrics with vibrant floral designs.

We visited a home/store/workshop where a family of 5 generations lives and works. The home's front room is a typical Mesoamerican home. The door is in the middle of the long side of a rectangular room. In the corner to the left is an altar (actually two; the second is a flat-screen). The opposite end has the beds. A table on the rear wall holds family product. In other homes it may be cocos, corn, whatever. In this home were tables full of woven and embroidered wares. Opposite the front door in the middle of the back wall is another door. Through the door is a patio where ladies work at their crafts.

To the left is a kitchen. Kitchens are rarely in the houses here. The back of the house shares a courtyard with four other houses. These other houses are for others in this family. Children and pets share the space. Dad and a son work on the son's bicycle until mom needs a knife sharpened. The knife done, a woman takes the knife and a few plucked chickens inside another home. Work, laughter and quiet conversation go on all the while. The women weave and decorate wool shawls and embroider other people's textiles as well.

We are introduced to some of the artisans – a mother with a year-old daughter slung across her hip. The mother appears to be in her mid-teens. Also present are her mother, her grandmother and an aunt. Great grandmother was said to be in the house to the rear of the courtyard.
The family knew in advance of our visit and prepared quesadillas for us. They also offered pex mixed with fruit flavors. Pex is famed for bringing on the expulsion of evil spirits. This family's pex blends are considered special, and they are offered for sale in recycled 12 oz. water bottles.
Warm adios's, buena suerte's, waves and big smiles accompanied our departure. Some other home-shops were just as colorful, but none were as friendly and warm.