Arriving into San Cristobal was a shock, it was cold and rainy. So we had to dig deep through our bags to pull out our jumpers and rain jackets. Luckily the rain only lasted the evening and the next day it was all sun again.
San Cristobal is famous throughout Mexico for having the highest proportion of Indigneous people. It was also the city where in January 1994 the EZLN revolted against the government and took over the city. They were rebelling against a government due to their poor treatment in society. The situation has settled now, however there are still groups of Zapatistas(EZLN) in the countryside that can be aggressive towards tourists. There is a real concern among the Indigenous that the Mexican government will turn the country into one large Cancun and they are rebelling against this. God forbid that this should ever happen.
We spent Easter in San Cristobal. On Good Friday there were processions through the streets where the locals re-enacted scenes from the bible. We'd heard that in some places in Mexico, a forunate(?) person in the community is selected to play Jesus in the re-enactment and is literally nailed to a cross. In San Cristobal no-one was so lucky as they used a mannequin instead. In Mexico, religious ceremonies are vibrant, all-involving and taken seriously, though often ending with a big party and copious amounts of tequila drinking and taco eating.
A huge fiesta took place in the city of San Cristobal on Easter Sunday to celebrate the commencement of Spring. A big procession ensued with the unveiling of 'Miss Spring'!
So as not to miss out on the Indigenous festivities we headed to the pueblo of San Juan de Chemula. The town enjoys unique autonomous status within Mexico. No outside police or military are allowed in the village as the Chamulas have their own police force. The main plaza in front of the church was filled with people singing, drinking and praying. Groups of men were wearing bear-like furry white or black tunics playing little banjos and the women feather-like black skirts. The Mayan Tzotzil people do not follow pure Catholicism but rather a fusion with Mayan religions/customs. Entering the church was like entering another world. Smoke from candles and incense hit us first, followed by the realisation that there was no seating and the floor was covered in pine needles. In fact the church was modestly decorated besides the glass cabinets containing different Saints (many wearing mirrors to deflect evil spirits) along the walls and the thousands of candles of various sizes burning and dotted all over the floor. We had to seriously watch our step for fear of stepping on one. Groups of 10-15 family members gathered and huddled on he floor to pray and sing together in front of the Saints, lighting candles of various sizes. A truly memorable and spiritual experience, but one that could not be photographed out of respect and fear of being beaten up!
Rather ironically whilst in Chamula we saw truckloads of Coca-cola deliveries. Later we found out that the Indigneous believe that by burping they rid themselves of evil spirits. For centuries they used a corn based drink to assist them with this - these days it is much easier to drink Coca-cola!
We'd been recommended a small hostel a little up from the main town, complete with cabanas on the beach. Going shoeless was the policy, as the whole hostel was set in the sand. We whiled away the hours by swimming, drinking Coronas, playing beach volleyball, practicing Spanish with the Argentinian hippies and generally relaxing.
A bit of a highlight was a trip to Laguna de Manialtepec and a swim in the phosphoresence. We saw a small amount of phospheresence in Thailand a few years ago but nothing like this. It's created by the emission of light from bioluminescent plankton which glows when the water is disturbed. Without delay we all jumped into th lake and were instantly covered and surrounded by a luminesence that looked otherworldly. If you ever saw the old movie 'Cocoon' it had a certain resemblance.
A few hours down the coast from Puerto Escondido was Mazunte. A truly magical small town set in a cove. We'd planned to stay for just 2 days, but ended up staying for 5. The weather was perfect, the water and waves magical and we bumped into a couple who we met in Bolivia 9 months previous. So we had the perfect excuse to stay longer and enjoy our last taste of Latino beach time.
