mmmm.....tortillas.....

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i woke up early this morning and didn't have time to eat before the tour of san juan chamula. the driver explained some of the history of the area and of the two main indigenous tribes. he wasn't happy with the fact that the girls are sometimes sold into marriage at a young age. most people aren't.

the first stop was a graveyard. since there is not much space--or maybe because of tradition--each family's remains are placed on top of each other. the different colors of the crosses also indicate the general age of the deceased, ranging from white (infants) to brown (adults).

next we went to the church of san juan chamula. it was explained that it's basically a mixture of catholicism and mayan traditions. it definitely tended towards the latter. at least i thought so when i saw a ceremonial chicken sacrifice. it felt weird because i've never been on some kind of tour where i'm watching the locals do their thing. it felt kind of exploitative and here it was right in the church next to everyone. you had to make sure not step on the lady waving scented candles around an old man's head to heal him of his ailments.

before we went inside i made the huge mistake of buying some pens and bags from a young girl. really bad mistake. the other kids swarmed around me. one girl was being really aggressive. apparently she "gave" me a bracelet and said she'd be waiting outside. i didn't know what she was talking about because i guess she handed it to the tour guide to give to me. or maybe she threw it on the floor and he picked it up. when we left the church she ran right up to me and asked for the money or the bracelet. i still wasn't sure if it was hers. i'll never forget this, she tells me, "no te voy a dejar entrar en el carro..." i'm not going to let you get in the car.. and as i got in the car she stopped me from closing the door. i gave her back the yellow bracelet. it was definitely a low-point on this trip because for a while i kept playing their voices going, "por favoooooor..." over and over in my head. it will probably be a while until it fades away.

next we went to another village in chamula. this time we stopped at a shop which i think has some sort of deal with tourist agencies. the lady in charge showed us how they make the traditional weaves, saying it could take up to a few months to finish one piece. while this was going on the tour guide brought us samples of liquors made from sugar cane. the pure sugar cane shots were strong. i had 5 or 6. also, thankfully, they made fresh tortillas. i was hungry from not eating and walking around in the sun. the other 3 people each had one. i had 6 and i really wanted more but i stopped. they were definitely the best tortillas i've ever had, and not just because i was starving. on the way back the driver told us the story about the lady. she grew up without her mom and dad. when she was young her godfather told her he was going to sell her for marriage. she refused and ran away to the city. she starting making weaves and became successful selling them on the streets. she went back home where her godfather took her back and said he would support her business. now she's started a collective with other women in the area.

when i got back to san cristobal i went to the bank to get money. it felt nice not being the shortest person there.

i finally walked around the cathedral square.

i had some lebanese food on real de guadalupe before passing out.

time definitely goes by slower in a more relaxed environment. i slept for what i thought was 4 or 5 hours. only 2 hours went by. it will probably take another day or two to get used to the pace. also, i think i came close to suffering from heat exhaustion.

i'd heard about a good italian restaurant. pizzeria napoli on ejercito nacional. i went by and the sign said it opened at 7.30pm. i thought it was way past that. it was only 6.45pm. i was starving but i decided to wait since it came recommended from a friend who knows his food. it was worth the wait because the food was good and the owner/chef is an amazingly nice person. for real, you can't ask for someone friendlier than him. he's italian but has been living in san cris for "a long long time". we talked while he cooked. everything made fresh. it was probably the best lasagna i've ever had. i told him i'd come back this week for his fettuccini.

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