Chiapas and Everyday Life

Our journey to Mexico was an eventful one. Long day of traveling, total of about 8 hours on the vans, but the time it actually took us to get there was much longer… Crossing the border was pretty painless, but a few hours into Mexico, we were stopped at a checkpoint and told that our vans could not continue any further without the necessary vehicle permits. Apparently they were supposed to register the vehicles. All of us could continue the hour and a-half to San Cristobal, but our two vans could not. Hmmm… So out we climbed, with only our necessary personal belongings, and chilled at this little station for about an hour. Nice break from the bus, we played hacky sack, and some other games to pass the time – until another van that our guide contacted came to pick us up. We squished into this, with people sharing seats and sitting on the floor, but we finally made it!

We stayed at Mancion del Valle in San Cristobal in Chiapas, Mexico. They even served us cocktails when we got there! We went to a nice restaurant for dinner, where we had cocktails with eggnog, cream of corn soup, tortillas with lots of fixings and a huge plate of meat assortment that we shared at our table and some type of strange looking dessert. After that I felt like I shouldn’t eat for the next week!

Our first full day in Mexico we visited Las Abejas in Acteal Mexico. Acteal is a little pueblo in the highlands of Mexico. Las Abejas was formed as a non-violence group and their goal was to keep peace, especially between the Zapatistas and the Pristas (para-military group). On December 22, 1997 a massacre occurred at this site that we visited. A total of 45 people, including many women and children were killed. One of the men giving us the tour and history was a survivor of this massacre. The people in this area speak the Mayan language of Titzil. In small villages such as these it is common to find a few people that are able to speak Spanish, but a majority of them only know their indigenous language. They had a small store where they were selling home-made gifts and I bought a few of these to help support their growth, this isn’t exactly a tourist attraction but there is so much to learn there – and they are so willing to share. They hold so much strength in their approach to peace, even after the devastating massacre they still fight for peacekeeping and non-violence.

They took us down to the tombs of those killed in the massacre, and one of the men sang a prayer in Titzil, it was a very powerful experience. After this a few women served us a very typical lunch of tortillas, beans, pasta noodles, picante sauce, and coffee. We then took a two-hour drive to Zapatista territory. This was a very unique experience – kind of felt like I was in the movies. All of the Zapatista leaders wear black face masks, only showing their eyes. The Zapatistas are an army revolutionary group based in Chiapas, and have been in a declared war “against the Mexican State,” which has mostly been nonviolent and in acts of defense against the paramilitary and invasions in their territory. Their social base is mostly rural indigenous, with some urban and international supporters. We were then brought to another building and were able to listen to a few of them speak about the organization, goals, and functions. Their ideals align with anti-globalization, anti-neoliberal social movement, and work for indigenous control over land and local resources.

When we were entering we had to give them our passports, and they questioned our director and one of our teachers, seeming suspicious of us, it was intense. After they warmed up to us, we were able to ask a lot of questions and learn a great deal from them. They even let us take a picture with them! It seemed that they were very appreciative of our interest and desire to learn and tell others that they are there and what they are about. Their desire is that they wish not to be forgotten – they are still there and they are fighting.

After we returned to San Cristobal, we had a nice relaxing night. At a place called Vino de Boca I tried hot wine or “vino caliente” for the first time! It was very interesting – a little too sweet for me though.

The next day was long and full of meetings with different organizations. First, I started it out right by eating breakfast on the terrace of our hotel. A few friends and I bought some cereal, milk and fruit and lived life the easy way. It was a great view of the city! First we visited Si Paz, a permanent observation program in Mexico founded in 1995, and since then has helped in preventing sociopolitical violence in Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Guerrero with a non-violent philosophy that stresses not only non-violence, but positive peace. It is a really great organization and a friend that I met at Celas is going to have an internship with them in about a month. Check out their website at www.sipaz.org.

We then went to CORECO, a civil society organization that also works to resolve conflict and help with negotiations in the indigenous communities of Chiapas. After this a friend and I enjoyed the afternoon by going to a café and taking in the city. Later in the evening we met with Derechos Humanos, helping provide public security and safety for the citizens of Mexico. Getting into our vans once again, we went up into the hills to a little pueblo, Chamula, and had the opportunity to participate in a ritual in the church of San Juan. Here the form of Catholicism is a blend of Mayan customs and Spanish Catholic traditions. There are no pews in the church; the floors are covered in pine boughs. Curanderos (medicine men) diagnose medical or psychological afflictions and prescribe remedies of candles, flower petals, feathers, or sometimes a chicken. Chamula families, with their sacrifices, kneel on the floor, with melted wax stick candles onto the floor, drink cups of Posh (sugar-cane based liquor), Pepsi/Coke, or some other sweet drink, and chant prayers in their archaic dialect of Tzotzil.

When we entered I was surprised to see so many candles on the floor, and it was covered with hay-like looking pine boughs! Such a neat experience! None of us really know what was going on the entire time, but we just did whatever the priest we were with told us to do. We were able to see a chicken that was about to be sacrificed. Apparently this church is a big tourist attraction because of this strong tradition, but tourists are only allowed to view from the back of the church – we went right up to altar and partook in the ceremony, each person lighting a candle and sharing the sweet juice drink while saying prayers for our intentions.

The last day we took a boat ride through a canyon down the Grijalva River. I could imagine that I was in the Lord of the Rings – so incredible and overwhelmingly beautiful! I felt like I was dreaming the entire time. We even got to see a crocodile! This lasted about 2 ½ hours. When we returned to San Cristobal we all hit up the market, which is always an adventure.

Most of the nights we checked out the nightlife in San Cristobal, which was livelier than Xela. The city reminded me a little of Europe, with its architecture and streets. A very tourist – friendly city. That explains why there were many nice restaurants, bars and discothèques.

Getting home was not nearly as eventful. Two of our Spanish teachers from Celas came along with us, which was very fun. We talked with them in Spanish during the rides so that helped pass time more quickly.

So I got to swing dance the other night! I have been dancing so much salsa and meringue that I didn’t realize how much I miss swing, until we were at La Rumba (a discotheque in Xela) a song came on, and then along comes John “Andrea!” Bailamos! Very fulfilling night I would say. That is, after we had a fiesta at Celas with some good old karaoke!

Last week to celebrate Abby’s acceptance into the India study abroad program for next year, we all went out to an Indian restaurant called Sabor de India. Wow, talk about a LOT of food! It was all delicious. I tried a drink called a Lassi. To describe it I would say it’s a combination between a smoothie and the flavor of a particular kind of tea. Very tasty!

This entire week was a big “Carnival” celebration for the preparation for lent. It’s a pretty big deal here. When people go out at night to the Carnival, they get eggs with confetti smashed on their heads, and then some flour to top that off! I was tempted to check this out, but I have been a little sick this past week, so my logical thinking told me not to. A few girls and I did check out the Carnival during the day, which was just down a few blocks from Celas. Here is basically what it is: a fair in the middle of the streets, with really old rides and TONS of food. It was an experience. There was a church – type setup also, where they had incense and statues and such. One of those experiences that I can explain, but it’s so much better to simply experience it.

This past week has been pretty crazy for all of us here in Guate. We started our classes at Rafael Landivar University. We have classes there in the mornings, then Spanish classes in the afternoons at Celas. I am taking two classes at the University: Mayan Societies and Liberation Ethics, then taking 20 hours of Spanish per week. I began volunteering at a daycare called Centro Infantil a few blocks away from my house. I help out there for about 5 hours every Wednesday in the morning. The kids are absolutely adorable! They simply love our presence there (I volunteer with two other girls from our group). We don’t really have any “specific tasks,” but we have fun playing with the kids, helping with breakfast and snack, assisting the kids with whatever else they may need help with, and simply being there to show them love and care.

Life in the Ixil Triangle

Yay for Ginger tea at the Blue Angel! Oh the love of spending the afternoon at a coffee-shop, talking with the girl friends, and studying. A few afternoons of my week last week consisted of this. These last few weeks have been a little more laid back. I decided that I need to take some time to be with my host family, and explore this beautiful city that I live in. Exploring the city street markets is an adventure in itself! I am immediately bombarded with eight different smells that I am hardly able to identify, and so many stores that sell some funky, random things – like an entire store selling anything and everything you could ever want that is made out of plastic. Lots of second-hand clothing stores, and tons of shoes! I do love the fact that I bought 20 tangerines for 5 Quetzals (which is about 65 cents!). I don’t feel too guilty about my never-ending fruit cravings when I can buy it on the streets for that cost!

I have been continuing with regularity my hobbies of yoga and going out to dance. I go to yoga once or twice a day (yes, I am addicted) and we go out dancing usually about twice a week. I am going to start taking salsa lessons next week – very excited for that. Also continuing to play my guitar frequently, as well as bringing it with on all of our excursions.

Friday we left for our excursion to the Guatemalan highlands and ended our destination in Nebaj, which is the Southwest corner of the Ixil Triangle. The van-ride through the mountains lasted about 6 hours, and I’m just going to say that I am surprised our 20-passenger van survived this ride (although there was one point when we had to stop to pick up our fender which fell off). There were a few times we scraped the bottom, I’m surprised they don’t make the wheels bigger on those things. It was so curvy, hilly, and steep! We had to stop a few times to let the breaks cool down. The view was never-failingly gorgeous though!

After checking into our hotel we had a really nice lunch on the balcony of a nearby restaurant. Overlooking the little city of Nebaj, it was hard to believe that only 30 years ago this city was massacred, houses and fields were burned, people were killed, and so much heartache swept through the entire area of the Ixil Triangle, which consists of the three cities of Nebaj, Chajul, and Cotzal. This is one of the most poor and isolated parts of Guatemala. The indigenous villages in this area suffered horrible massacres during Guatemala’s 36-year long civil war, and lived in extreme poverty with no electricity, access to water, and lacked basic services like schools and healthcare. In the late 1970’s and 1980’s this area was enveloped in much violence. The government believed this to be the main operating point of the Guerilla Army of the Poor (EGP). Because of this the government armies wiped out entire villages and populations in an attempt to end the EGP. Families were forced to move into the mountains in an attempt to hide. Since this time many villagers have returned to the villages to rebuild their homes and villages.

A majority of the people of this area wear traditional indigenous clothing. Their textiles are so intricate and beautiful. Greens, reds, yellows, and oranges are worn with red cortes (skirts). Most women wear a traje, a headcloth made of hand-woven fabric decorated with tassels that they pile above their heads. Hardly any men wear traditional clothing, they usually buy secondhand American clothing. Many of the people here speak the Mayan language of Ixil, which is a very neat language to listen to! So many different sounds they put together, and they speak with a specific rhythm that seems to sound like they are reciting a poem.

We met with a group called REMHI (Recuperación de Memoria Histórica). This is a collective movement that works to rebuild and gather and present the effects of violence in different afflicted areas of the world. They gather the thoughts of the victims and survivors of violence and offer proposals and guidance and work toward social reconstruction. This particular group focuses on the area of the Ixil Triangle, and has been developing many very beneficial programs, such as healthcare, pharmacies, education programs, ect. After this we walked up to an altar on a hill to see a Mayan New Year ceremony. This was a very unique experience. After the ceremony they served us bread and hot chocolate (these two things are very common in Guatemala I have realized).

Sunday we met with the Movimiento Desarraigados (Movement of People Uprooted by the War). A few men shared their personal stories of their experiences, one as a guerilla, and the other as a Church board member. As I explained earlier, the lives of these families were so difficult. During this war so many families were forced into hiding in the mountains without food, heat, or other necessities. The thing that frustrates them the most they told us is that there is no justice. No one is being punished for the extreme violence that was committed against them. Also the fact that the United States Government still is not recognizing the wrong-doing of the Guatemalan government, ant the help that the US had provided.

We then left for a 2 hour hike to Acul (Finca San Antonio), which was a farm owned and run by Italians with a Swiss cheese factory. We ate lunch there of tortillas with melted Swiss cheese, salsa, and spaghetti. We then took a tour of the farm.

Monday was another early morning and long day. We took the van to a little dark room in the neighboring town of Chajul to meet with some community members who were victims of the Guerra. Here in this room with no light, women told personal testimonies of their hardships and tragedies during the war. Many of them lost their husbands and children to the murders of the army. It was heart-wrenching to hear these experiences and see the faces of these women and families. By the end of our visit there were so many community people in that room, children and all. They were so grateful to us for coming, and didn’t want us to leave. They offered to show us their houses and spend more time with us. The just wanted to share with us their hardship and the difficulties they are still having trying to thrive, so that we can take this back with us and let people know what has happened and the circumstances they are still forced to live with. They sent us off with a blessing, which was so touching. A few of us left with tears in our eyes, and all of us, a sense of helplessness and desire to fix all of their problems right here and now.

All of these little pueblos we passed through had nice communities of chickens, turkeys, pigs, dogs, cats, sheep, cows, horses, and goats roaming free around the towns and fields. The houses were all mostly little shacks and it is clear that they all work very hard every day too complete simple, necessary tasks in up keeping their families. Everywhere we went people would stop and watch us walk by. It’s not very often that they get to see “gringos” passing through. These aren’t exactly “tourist highlights” but there is so much beauty to this part of the country that I wish more people could see.

We then took a 4 hour hike through the mountains to a little pueblo where three women brought us into a home and fed us a typical indigenous meal of Boxboles (pronounced Boshbol). It was very interesting, but quite tasty! After returning from our hike we were all exhausted, but still had to last through the 6 hour drive home.

And once again I have written an essay, but there is so much to say so much to do, and so many emotions. Now our group is back in Xela for one day, then off to Mexico for a few days!