Chiapas … A Paradise for Tourists,

but Definitely NOT “Touristy”!

Video courtesy of the State of Chiapas.

A street in San Cristobal de las Casas’ historical district is filled with locals and visitors.

I’m frequently asked, by many who read my articles about Mexico, “Where can I go in Mexico that’s not “touristy?” Well, after you read this, you will know. Not that I, personally, don’t like those destinations in Mexico that cater to tourists, because I love all of those places (after all… I’m a tourist). Chiapas is bordered by the states of Tabasco to the north, Veracruz to the northwest, and Oaxaca to the west. To the east Chiapas borders Guatemala and to the south, the Pacific Ocean. Having traveled extensively in Mexico for several decades, I am amazed that there still is an area… a state… so beautiful, that isn’t heavily traveled by tourists. Mountains… valleys… rainforests… mist forests… rivers… Maya ruins… lakes… white water rafting… colonial haciendas… this state has it all! Chiapas is a destination that has been difficult to reach, to say the least, up to now.

To visit any points of interest in the state has required a flight from the U.S. to Mexico City (or other destination) then a short flight to Tuxla Gutierrez, the capital city, then a drive to San Cristobal de las Casas, or elsewhere. Palenque was (and still is) more easily reached by flying into Villahermosa in the state of Tabasco, though. Continental Airlines has twice-weekly direct flights from Houston to Tuxla Gutierrez coupled with twice-weekly return flights and as all arriving flights are in the evening, I checked into the Crown Plaza Tuxla Gutierrez for the night. This hotel is every bit as luxurious and comfortable as the others around the world and I nestled in for dinner. The restaurant in the hotel is large and well-staffed and unlike what you might imagine in a Crown Plaza, offers many very authentic typical Chiapanecan dishes, so even thoughyou may be starting a trip deeper into the Maya experience and more jungle adventure oriented, you don’t need to start with “tourist food” as much of the food in Los Helechos restaurant in the hotel is excellent and authentic.

As my ultimate destination was the town of San Cristóbal de las Casas and villages and two Tzotzil towns more easily reached from there,I headed out early in the morning (it’s a nice drive of less than two hours). I checked into the Hotel Ciudad Real Centro Historico, which was (like many other boutique hotels in San Cristobal) an old hacienda. For me, the main attraction here was access to the main historical district square, or Plaza 31 de Marzo (the city was founded on the 31st of March), surrounded by public buildings and enhanced at night by romantic lighting with live music being played in the pavilion (built in 1895).

The main square in the historical district of San Cristobal de las Casas is for relaxing, socializing and romantic strolls.

There are two indigenous villages of these people near each other... San Juan Chamula and Zinacantán. My first stop in Zinacantán was an indigenous home with traditional hats, and other clothing for sale.

Two visitors from the U.S. try on traditional Tzotzil Maya costumes in a Zinacantán shop

In back of the shop, I was treated to some typical foods being made on a comal over a “camp fire” on the floor of the room used as a kitchen. Visitors were also offered a tasting of posh, a relatively potent liquor made from corn and sugar cane.

A young Tzotzil woman makes tortillas on a comal over an open fire in her home.

In Tzotzil Maya Village Zinacantán, life revolves around San Lorenzo Church.

In the village of Zinacantán, the church is huge and adorned with many beautiful retablos as well as by entire walls covered with gold. The Tzotzil Maya people here practice a combination of ancient pre-Spanish Maya religion and Catholicism and while they may be in a Catholic church, they may be chanting to a Maya god in their prayers. After wandering around the church admiring the art on the walls,I left it to head to the village of San Juan Chamula... but looking back over my shoulder as I left the church, I noticed a sign in Spanish admonishing the worshipers to not sacrifice chickens within. Not fully understanding the significance of the sign, I continued to San Juan Chamula (Chamula is the original Tzotzil name and San Juan is the Spanish name) and found there a village where the Tzotzil traditions and language dominate the daily life.

In San Juan Chamula, hundreds of Tzotzil Maya vendors fill the square
of San Juan Bautista church.

 It was Saturday… market day… and hundreds of villagers were buying and selling fruits, veggies, chorizo, amber, chicharones, snails, turkeys and fish in booths in the yard of the Church of St. John (San Juan Bautista). Lazy Mexican streets dogs sprawled around everywhere. No police were in evidence, yet pairs of religious"authorities" wandered around the square, receiving the respect of all. They wore traditional Maya costumes and carried black batons over their shoulders as a symbol of their authority. I quickly found that I was not allowed to photograph these authorities, nor could I take photographs in the church.

After I was allowed no photos, I brought home this old postcard.

So, after a search of my camera by authorities and an explanation to them from my guide that I had no place to leave my camera, I was allowed to enter the church. No pews. No altar. Just an expansive marble floor with a few dozen Maya kneeling on the pine needles that were spread all over the floor. Each worshipper had made his/her own "altar" on the floor and had planted as many as a hundred candles with melted wax on the floor. Along the walls were dozens of tables covered with hundreds... no, thousands of candles, which were the only lighting within. Worshipers were chanting prayers to various Maya gods, as well as to their various patron saints, whose statues are in niches around the circumference of the room dressed in traditional Tzotzil garb. No clergy are allowed nor Catholic rites practiced in the church now. Some worshippers had chickens that they were praying over and offering their sacrifice to the gods before wringing the necks of the chickens. They then took the chickens to their homes and cooked them for dinner.

Now, before you go thinking about how “barbaric” this is… consider the fact that we Christians, Jews and many other religious practitioners offer our meals in honor of God as we thank him for the meal in the form of “saying grace” before eating. I submit that there is no difference here except that these very religious Maya offer thanks to their gods before they kill their dinner rather than after they kill dinner, as we do. Most of the celebrants who pray under the guidance of a shaman to remove negative energy or illness, drink posh…. The shaman also spits posh on the person who is ill then passes chickens and eggs over the sick person to absorb and retain the illness.

I have said “Tell me what you know about the Maya and I’ll tell you what you know about Mexico.” I found out on this trip how little I knew about the Maya.

I headed back to San Cristobal after the long day of studying ancient Maya traditions and looked forward to an adventurous day in the morning, visiting Sumidero Canyon, AMIKÚU Park (contact with pythons, ocelots and exotic birds) and some of the obligatory breathtaking zip-lining at the park. More on this must-do-in-your-lifetime trip in my next installment, Chiapas II.

Meanwhile, some useful links are:
http://www.visitmexico.com/wb/Visitmexico/Visi_Chiapas
http://www.visitmexico.com/work/sites/Visitmexico/resources/LocalContent/6333/17/sancr_cg.pdf
http://www.mexonline.com/sccasas.htm
www.ciudadreal.com
www.diegodemazariegos.com
www.casamorado.com.mx
www.casamexicana.com
www.tierraycielo.com.mx
www.plazamagnolias.com.mx
www.crownplaza.com
www.turismochiapas.gob.mx/

Coming in Chiapas II article, a trip through Sumidero Canyon…
and zip-lining, rappellingand animal contact in Amikúu Park.

How to make Tortillas

 I asked my Yucatan peninsula food mentor, David Sterling of Los Dos Cooking School in Merida for a recipe for the tortillas I tasted in the Tzotzil Maya home in Zinacantán and he offered a “method”… not a recipe for the way the Maya have been making tortillas for 3000 years. As I can find tortilla “recipes” everywhere through Google, I liked the idea.

There really is no such thing as a true "recipe for tortillas". There is, however, a recipe for nixtamal, but it isn't terribly interesting: 2 k dried field corn kernels, covered with water, add 4 Tbs. calcium hydroxide (used by the Maya for thousands of years!), bring to a boil, then let it sit overnight. Rub the corn between your hands over and over while rinsing to remove the pericarp. When the water runs clear, grind the corn. That is how we make masa, and from masa we make tortillas. You form a little ball of the masa, then pat out on a flat surface and place on the hot comal. As you can see, it isn't really a "recipe", but rather some instructions for the process. Real tortillas have nothing in them other than masa made from nixtamal.