10 things I love about San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

We are fortunate enough to be able to spend a month living in San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico, one of the nicest and most enjoyable cities I have ever visited.  What a great vibe and energy.  Wondering why? Well... here are some of the particular things I love....

1.  Pedestrian routes through town....  
Here is Real de Guadelupe, one of the main pedestrian routes through the city, heading directly to the main plaza which is of course a great social gathering spot for all ages and social groups.  It is really interesting how pedestrians simply stream toward this street and it has a vibrancy & fun vibe to it not easily replicated on the sidewalk alongside a busy automobile route.  Oh, and speed bumps... great idea.  All they are are raised pieces of concrete that completely slow motorized vehicles as they approach pedestrian & bike-crossing routes.  What an excellent concept..... and very simple....

2.  Socially progressive collective use of spaces...
Here is just one among several spots.  In this place on Real de Guadelupe, one can find an organic vegetarian restaurant, small movie theatre (showing locally relevant socio-political movies), Spanish school & office for international pediatric association. In other spot, I came across a bartering market (no exchange of money, just goods, mostly handcrafted), bike fix-it & rental place and bicycle-powered machine manufacturer.  There is a heightened kind of social consciousness in this city perhaps brought about the interesting blend of people who show up here & the inspiring & liveable setting.

3.  $4 yoga classes 3 blocks from our house...
Yet another interesting collective space where yoga, meditation, reiki & various workshops and courses all exist together in harmony.  The schedule of hatha and ashtanga yoga is really regular and convenient.  A great way to start the day!

4.  Gorgeous jewelry - local amber, jade, turquoise, lapiz, red coral - all at great prices.

5.  Even more gorgeous textiles & embroidery - and strong local indigenous (Mayan) cultures...
The elaborate clothes worn (and sold) by the indigenous people are gorgeous - and inexpensive.  Many of the blouses and dresses are hand-stitched, an increasingly rare artform.

6.  Fabulous market
Where just about everything food can be bought (that is.... locally grown gorgeous veggies, fruit & even Chiapas coffee).  Here is a just a shot but this market goes on forever and it is brilliant.  A bit of an overwhelming place in which to manouevre but definitely worth it in terms of knowing local campesinos livelihoods are being supported & you are getting an absolutely great deal in terms of food value.  Here is just a glimpse.

7.  Strong local indigenous cultures... Mayan.
This photo is actually taken 11 kilometers up the road from San Cristobal, in the small town of Chamula.  The indigenous cultures are also very evident and strong in San Cristobal.  Many indigenous people from the nearby mountain towns come into this city to sell their gorgeous wares (many elaborate & skillfully designed textiles) and produce in town.  This church in the backdrop (Chamula) is interesting because it has completely been taken over by traditional Mayan spiritual ceremonies.  Although some of the Christian saints are still evident, John the Baptist takes the place of honour over the altar.  The elaborate Mayan ceremonies involve pine needles, candles and other procedures which are ancient and complex.  I am told that the Catholic priest is rarely allowed into the church.  We had to pay to enter and were absolutely not permitted to take any photos within the walls of the church. 

8.  Ornate and brightly coloured (picturesque) colonial buildings
Here is a photo of the Santo Domingo church near downtown San Cristobal.  Outside this church with its ornately decorated facade, is a daily artesans' and crafts market.  The architecture throughout the city is great.

9.  Funky restaurants, cafes & bookstores...
Here is a shot of a great bookstore in town, La Pared.  After months of travelling in Latin America, what a joy it was to come across a full wall of books IN ENGLISH!  There are all sorts of great places to read, hang out, eat, drink..etc etc around here.  Very liveable city.

10.  Proximity to everthing Chiapas
There are plenty of beautiful places to see throughout the Chiapas and San Cristobal makes a great base of exploration.  We decided to take a couple of tours out of San Cristobal.  Yesterday we got out to the Cañon de Sumidero, full of crocodiles, birds and interesting rock formations.... here's a shot taken during our two-hour boat ride through the canyon.

We will be here in San Cristobal until early March, then we will be moving on.  It is hard to believe there are now less than 2 months left before we will be returning to Canada!

Exploring Mayan ruins deep within the Chiapas jungle

Early February 2012 spent wandering the grounds of jungle-clad Mayan ruins deep in the Chiapas region of Mexico.  This area is most recently famous for the Zapatista campesino uprising of the 1990s led by sub-commando Marcos.  You probably remember his black balaclava pipe-smoking image gracing the covers of many media outlets during that period of time.  Although the activism has mellowed over the years, one can still feel a strong Zapatista presence in this region as evidenced by the signs dotted here and there which read something along the lines of "this is Zapatista territory."  Correspondingly, the Mexican military presence is also very strong, particularly on the major routes heading to the nearby Guatemalan border.  Sorry - no pictures of them.  One Danish tourist got hauled off our bus for taking video footage of a military checkpoint and was made to delete it all.

Our first stop in the Chiapas was Palenque where we stayed in a jungle-surrounded $15/ night cabaña not too far from the ruins.  Every night there I was lulled to sleep by the sound of jungle insects and the haunting call of howler monkeys off in the distance.  The howler monkeys are like the protectors of these magical ruins and are every bit as mystical.

Before heading to the Palenque ruins, we took a tour to see Yaxchilan down the Usumacinta River on the Guatemalan border then headed to Bonampak on the edge of the Lacandan jungle of Mexico. 

What makes Yaxchilan particularly special is that the only access is by boat down the river... otherwise the place is surrounded by jungle.

Here is a shot of one of the beautiful buildings which I imagine, sits empty of humans and enjoyed by bats and the howler monkeys when the rest of us are gone.  This is the lofty and regal Acropolis which stands tall up a steep set of steps, above the rest of this site.

Then to Bonampak where we are greeted by some of the Lacandan people who have full control over access in and out of this particular area.  The Lacandan are an amazing group of indigenous people who wearing striking white tunics and who were never colonized by the Spaniards.  They lived peacefully and in harmony with their jungle home until the 1950s when outsiders started to make inroads into this jungle area, some in search of agricultural opportunities and wood sources.  Since then their jungle home - and traditional culture - has been under constant threat.  We could tell that the Lacandan people who mind Bonampak had a definite reverance for the place.  To enter the rooms where these astonishing ancient murals are found in one of the temples, men were requested to remove their hats.  These are sacred and powerful places.

 Then we returned to Palenque, an astonishing site.  The sacred energy resonating through this site is reminiscent of Machu Picchu.  The most famous building of this site is probably the Templo de los Inscripciones which is a massive temple and tomb-site for a king by the name of Pakal whose jade-clad tomb was found deep within.

 What I really appreciate about these ancient Mayan cultures is the reverance for the natural world and the knowledge of the stars and planets.  They were truly connected to their environment.  The ceiba tree according to Mayan beliefs is said to hold up the heavens and is a very sacred tree.  I love how certain trees have grown right on top of some of the ruins of Palenque, spreading their intricate roots around the ancient blocks....

And now we are in San Cristobal de las Casas, a very pleasant city in the Chiapas.  We have rented a place here for a month.   More soon....

more from the Yucatan in Mexico & moving on...

After enjoying the sugary white sands of the Mexican Caribbean coast for almost 2 weeks and snorkelling the deep cavernous sacred cenotes of this area, we are just about ready to head out of the Yucatan to other parts of Mexico.

We did get to the ruins of Tulum which are particularly scenic due to their location right on the coast.  This site is said to be dedicated to Venus.  Tulum is an interesting area and this year in particular, is attracting many people from all over the world drawn by the special sacred energy of the area and the 2012 Mayan prophecy which foretells massive changes toward the end of this year.  We have enjoyed meeting some truly inspiring spiritual people during our time here.

We were thinking maybe iguanas established and caretake the ruins of Tulum because they are everywhere.

We also got 45 minutes inland to the small Mayan town of Coba which also has a fantastic set of ruins and boasts the tallest pyramid on the Yucatan peninsula at 42 meters.

And here is the intrepid climber heading down the pyramid just before we were hit by heavy rains.

So now, we are headed to Palenque, another Mayan ruin in the jungles of Mexico on the way to the Chiapas area.  We are scheduled to leave Tulum this afternoon on a 12 hour bus.

Adios for now, amigos y amigas.