san cristobal de las casas

iglesia in san cristobal -------------------------templo de santo domingo pillars



central market chilis, oranges and beans


typical diner in town (pozzole = chicken soup+ salsas and tortillas)


san juan chamula church (animist worship) --seb mingling with the dogs


need a haircut ? -----------------karis ready for the cañon trip



cañon from the boat ---------------------crocs


the christmas tree ----------------day of the dead worship at the hostal


karis and marianne @ revolution -------------the happy crew


seb in his new rental car ------------------warming up at the taqueria (tacos restaurant)

san cristobal de las casas is like a smaller and homier version of oaxaca...perhaps cooler too, being at 2163m. the buildings are the same; with beautiful, multi-coloured façades and lovely, old wooden doors with ancient locks. the streets are cobbled almost throughout the town, leading to hills with brightly coloured churches perched on top of them.
much of the three days, or so, we walked around the town exploring the sites. the first day alone and later duarte and marianne joined us.

the plaza 31 de marzo, otherwise known as the zocalo, is a peaceful area to watch the world go by. if not doing that, there are many coffee shops and bars that surround it, just in case one needs a coffee and a mmm-delicious pan de queso to recharge those batteries.
around the corner is a magnificant bright yellow cathedral, first built in 1528 and rebuilt in 1693. perhaps it was not bright enough?!
up one of the many hills, there are winding stairs (cerro de san cristobal) that lead...not to gold, but to a church. it provided us with a lovely view over the town. there is also the cerro de guadelupe, but unfortunately we did not make it.

just outside of town, there is the museum of mayan medicine which is extremely interesting. it looks at traditional maya medicine and the importance of candles, prayers, incenses and bones. we witnessed a video on traditional childbirth, which i fear would put eveyone off doing the deed!
on the way to, of from, one passes the most incredible market. there are chamulan women (and the odd man) in their traditional wears selling their crafts in the most impressive colours. overlooking this scene is the templo de santo domingo, built between 1547 and 1560 (the detail of the baroque frontage is magnificant). and the templo de la caridad, built in 1712.

when we were not smoozing around the town, we were exploring the surrounding areas. san juan chamula and san lorenzo zinacantan are two of the most famous towns. here the chamulans and zinacantan people sell their goods in their locals markets. it is the one place where i found that there was ¨life¨outside of tourism. in san juan, we witnessed an interesting site inside the templo de san juan. there are hundreds of flickering lights, clouds of incense and worshippers kneeling with their faces to pine needles that are loosely strewn on the floor. infront of some saints, there were traditional indigenous healers chanting. it was truly an unforgettable and somewhat eary experience.

another trip we made was to the cañon del sumidero, a spectacular canyon with gigantic walls of rock which loom over one, in a puny spedboat. at some parts, the cliffs are as high as 800m! here we witnessed the magic of nature with moss-covered rocks forming a ¨christmas tree¨, crocodiles lazing in the sun and so many birds that we lost count! after that, there was a brief visit to chiapa de corzo, a cute, little colonial town on the river grijalva.

San cristobal de las casas est une petite ville colorée du Chiappas, entourée de montagnes où résident nombreuses communautés indigènes. Fatigués par les 12 h de bus depuis Puerto Escondido, on se dirige de bon matin vers Madre Tierra pour un bon ptit dej mexicain à base de omelette + frijoles (haricots rouges en purée) + café du chiappas et pour finir une bonne dizaine de toast + confiture ( ca je sais pas si c´est mexicain mais c´est bon aussi).
La ville est agréable et on se promène à travers les différent marchés, que ce soit d´artisanat, de fruits ou mème de viande. On peut y voir quelques tzozis dans leur habit traditionnel (cape de plume noire) venu vendre leurs produits.
Duarte et Marrianne nous rejoignent pour visiter le village de San Juan Chamula réputé pour son église, lieu de culte mi-animiste, mi-catholique. Dans l´église, chaque saint est recouvert d´habits et porte un miroir autour du coup. Les prières se font sur un tapis de branches de pins et le prètre guérisseur utilise poulet vivant et oeuf afin de purifier le croyant désirant se libérer de son mal. La lumière provient seulement des bougies allumées par les croyants, ce qui confère à l´endroit un ambiance vraiment spéciale et quelque peu sordide.

San Cristobal c´est également la ville ou l´on a redécouvert avec Karis une addiction pour les m&m´s. Il faut dire que les nouveaux paquets aux amandes sont irrésisitibles. Apparement, il y aurait une nouvelle sorte au chocolat noir sur le marché avec des bonbons a l´effigie de la famille Adams...

Enfin, on part visiter le canion du sumidero depuis une barque. On se laisse dériver dans les entrailles du canion, entouré par ces falaises de 1000 m de haut. Les crocodiles, vautours, pélicans nous accompagnent lors de ce beau voyage.

Le soir, on se prépare qq apéros à l´auberge à base de fromage d´Oaxaca et de vin chilien puis on prend qq verres au bar Revolution qui réunit tous les jeunes de la ville.