San Cristobal de las Casas

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In order to save the cost of a night´s accomodation and to save town, I decided to make the 12hr journey from Oaxaca to San Cristobal by overnight bus. Now that last time I took an overnight bus (in Thailand) my ankles swelled up to the size of my calves (which was not a very attractive look!) so I was slightly apprehensive. However, the bus was quite empty so I had 2 seats to myself and plenty of room to stretch out. So thankfully, so far, ankles are all in order! Normally when I go on buses I´m the only non-Mexican there, but on this bus it all seemed to be tourists! They even videoed us all sitting down with a camcorder before we left- I presume for security, but strange all the same.

I arrived at 9am, so had the whole day to potter about. Got a bus to a nearby town called San Juan Chamula. Very bizarre indeed. The local church is the centre of the community, where they practice a strange mixture of Christianity and weird Mayan-ness. The floor in the church is marble and covered in pine needles. There are hundreds of locals sitting on the floor, burning insense, and melting candles to the floor.

Everyone has bottles of fizzy drink because apparently belching helps to free evil from within- very weird but quite funny!

I thought it was a bit strange when I saw a dead chicken lying on the floor but didn´t really give it a second thought until I saw a lady carrying a live chicken with its main body wrapped in a plastic bag. She stood over another woman who was sitting on the floor and rubbed it up and down her body. She then wafted it over a load of candles and proceeded to break its neck!!!

Oh my god! I was so shocked! She held it for a few minutes while it twitched about, then just put it on the floor by the candles. She then got a bottle of bacardi from her bag and drank some with the other lady! Unfortunately you weren't allowed to take photos in there (understandably I suppose!) but it's definitely an experience that will stay with me for a while!

After visiting a museum about Mayan medecine later in the day, I found out that the chicken (or sometimes an egg, which seems a lots more sensible!) is supposed to draw out the illness from a person. The alcohol does the same job as the coca cola and gets rid of bad spirits. They also light different numbers and colours of candles depending on what their problems are.

Altogether, a very interesting experience!!!!

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Photos

Little Mexican girl selling bracelets
Everywhere I´ve been in Mexico there have been hundreds of children begging and selling things. It´s so sad!

San Juan Chamula Church
Very strange things going on inside!

Church ruin & graveyard
Black crosses are for people who died when they were old, white if they died when they were young and blue for everyone else.

Comments

[Hannah]

I will remember that little trick next time someone comes for first aid...now where can I get a live chicken..?

[Pauline]

"chicken and egg""
Hey Soph, Mine's the Bacardi and Coke, hold the chicken OK?!!! XXXX