San Cristobal
We had heard so much about this little town, how beatiful and stunning it is, the things to see, the things to do etc. But they all forgot to tell us how incredibly cold San Cristobal is. We had spent nearly 3 months in pure heat and all of a sudden we were two weeks into a cold snap where jumpers were required and many of them. Even after the week in Xela it was still cold.
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| A very old church,construction started in 1550 or thereabouts. We were wondering why it was so busy........ they were in mourning for the local guru priest. |
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Same church as the first shot, but at night.
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| At both ends of the town are two huge churches - perfect views, but a huge climb to attend a service! Petrina thought she would check this church out herself and wondered why all the puzzled looks from the locals. She quickly exited the church to be met by a Bride coming in. 30 seconds later and things could have been real awkward. |
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| The mountains surround the town and create an amazing backdrop no matter which way you look |
Our first walk down the main street revealed what everyone was talking about, a city of beauty and of design similar to European cities. Cobblestoned streets lined with 16 century or earlier architecture. Stores of colour and art lined the street with many pubs and small boutiqe eateries set up between them.
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| One of the typical pedistrian steets, doesn't really look like the Mexico we have seen to date, but amazing none the less. |
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| Muchos colores....colours galore. |
The streets were spotted with local Indigenous ladies trying to sell their crafts or with little kids who have been sent out to sell little nick nacks rather than go to school. It was a very sad sight to see but something we soon learnt more of, as explained below.
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| A loca lady walking down the main street in typical dress | | | |
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A local girl selling Steve an arm band. Children of the indigenous people rarely go to school in Indigenous communities, partly due to lack of schools in the villages and also due to a lack of available funds.
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| Early morning before most people are awake, the town has a different feel with just the odd person around. |
On our first night we went to check out a local documentary on the Zapatistas. Zapatistas are local indigenous people who, like many countries' locals, have endured many years of inequality and neglect. San Cristobal was the site of a kind of civil war in 1994 that lasted over 10 years where the Zapatistas revolted against the Government of the area and Mexico in general. The result was the pushing out of locals (Zapatistas) to outer regions and mountains. It is the Zapatista women who come into town to market their goods as social security is non existent.
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| The local hair style of the Indigenous women. |
The general relationship between the Zapatistas and the Government at firsrt glance seems ok, but by looking at things more closely (the huge army presence through town and undertones of local graffiti) it would seem another revolt could be easily staged.
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| A group of local women taking a break from the hard sell in the main tourist strip and below - two examples of local pro Zapatista graf pieces |
But all that aside the town is AMAZING. The market was the most colourful we have seen, like a rainbow had thrown up there (see photos below)! However, in between buying more jumpers etc we both came down with some funky gastro... (third lot this trip, we are averaging about one bout per month! Steve's struck about 1 hour into a drive to Palenque (one of Mexico's most celebrated Mayan Ruins), so we jumped out of the mini van, he emptied his stomach and we were then left to catch a local ute back home in the freezing conditions. Now that in itslelf was an experience! Travel plans were soon adjusted and Palenque had to wait for another day.
Even though we have been sick we are loving the food in all towns we have visited. Below are some samples of what we have been eating in San Cristobal, and possilbe causes of a bit of gastro. (Petrina will prepare a detailed food blog in the weeks to come)
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| Mmmm Mole, Steve is keeping a running score of Mole rankings across Mexico. It is a savory chocolate based sauce with many spices. Oh so good. |
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| Even Dogs enjoy the local cuisine. This is 'Salsa' enjoying some left overs at one of our favourite Vege cafes in the town. |
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| Yum, Eloté (Corn) served with Mayo, Chilli and rolled in Cheese from the man in the photo below. |
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| Naranja peeled via an Apple slinky machine (Petrina's work colleagues will understand this reference) and ready to eat |
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| Not sure if Angelina Jolie was due to be wandering through the market at all... but this baby had prime selling location. |
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| Petrina deciding what store to check out next |
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| The locals even had some stylish wheels to fit into the ecletic mix of locals and tourists that walk the streets. |
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