The Highlands

One of the coolest parts about being stationed in San Cristóbal are being a short drive from a lot of different small towns. The indigenous people are more highly visible here than in other parts of Mexico, and when you travel from village to village, you can see distinct styles of dress, mostly among the women.

In Tenejapa, about 40 minutes east of San Cristóbal, certain men wear these outfits that include hot pink embroidered shorts. They call themselves the local authorities, and walk around, keeping an eye on things. In the above photo, they are keeping an eye on this elderly couple having a very public fight (the man in the cowboy hat on the stoop on the left, and the short old woman standing with her back to me). They found the fight more entertaining than anything else.

In Zinacantán, the women wear these amazing purple shawls that are embroidered with sparkly threads. Sometimes the men wear large ponchos that are similarly embroidered.

I don’t have a decent photo of the women from San Juan Chamula, but they all wear these black furry skirts and shiny satin shirts with placard stitching and ribbon trim.

The town of San Juan Chamula is infamous for its resistance to Catholics and photography, particularly in its church.

The church recently got a floor but there are no benches. People spread pine needles on the floor–a reference to their mountain-based spiritual beliefs–and perform elaborate rituals that involve lighting lots of candles, drinking carbonated beverages, and sacrificing chickens. Groups of people–anywhere from between two people to many more–will sit on the floor and chant, light candles, and then pull the chicken out. I’ve never been in a church where people are sitting on the floor drinking Modelo, Coca-Cola, and breaking the necks of chickens.

My friend Marissa visited this week from San Francisco and I dragged her along to a weaving “class” in Zinacantán that mostly consisted of the local women laughing at us and then rapidly weaving the scarves we started so that we could leave within the 3-hour time limit.

More on the neighboring towns here.