December 2020 Road Trip
Sometimes, doing a little research is not a good thing.
We are at the tail end of our epic road trip through the Yucatan, making our way back to our home base on the coast of Oaxaca.
Having heard through the grapevine that the road from Palenque through the state of Chiapas, is notoriously fraught with danger, of course we take to the internet. Every article, blog, comment says, “Do not take this road in any circumstances. There are bandits along the way that are dangerous and there are locals that block the road for outsiders.”
Our reaction after doing some reading on the topic is, “Obviously we are not doing that route!”.
Not taking the most dangerous road, which weaves through the mountainous yet lush and beautiful state of Chiapas, would mean we would have to go ALL THE WAY around… Around the mountains and back the way we came 10 weeks ago, through Oaxaca City, to get back to our home base of Zipolite. An extra 15 hours of driving, at least. Now, bear in mind, at this point, we have covered more than 1,000 miles on this road trip. Adding more hours of driving does not excite us. Going to new places does.
What to do?
We really want to see Chiapas and in particular the mountain town of San Cristobal de Las Casas. Neither of us are ready to let this final destination evaporate.
And neither of us likes to operate from a place of fear.
We decide to gather more on the ground perspective. Real time. We are driving through the jungle, crossing from the East side of the Yucatan peninsula to the West side. We still have some time to make our decision. We start asking people ~The couple who own a tiny roadside taqueria, a hotel owner, a policeman. “Is it really dangerous? Are cars being stopped and people being robbed?”
The verdict from locals? the road is safe. Yes, there have been problems in the past, but as of now, there is no reason to not drive on that route. On the ground fact finding overtakes internet research, which appears to be outdated and not able to deter us.
All ten weeks of this trip, so far, we have never, not once, felt fearful or uncomfortable. We have found people to be extremely helpful, kind and very friendly.
We are going for it!
We uneventfully drive through small indigenous pueblos with women in their traditional wide sashed multi-colored clothing and children playing on the side of the street. Laundry in bright colors is hanging out to dry next to small simple houses.
There is however one hazard. The topes. Topes are speed bumps. We have encountered a few of these each time one enters a pueblo and exits it. Chiapas is packed with an extraordinary number of surprise topes. It requires a lot of focus to ensure spotting these in time, as they are unmarked. We manage to avoid MOST of them, but hit a few which results in a bumped head and a jolt to the suspension of our already suspect vehicle.
As for the alleged risk of bandits “blocking the road”, the only thing that could constitute a blocked road, were some children holding a piece of string from one side of the street to the other, interested in having us buy their banana chips and other small handmade snacks. Which we do of course, for a few pesos. Much excitement on their part that we actually stop and buy their goods.
There is a commonality of traditional dress in the villages we pass as we weave our way through the mountain. These project the cultural identity of indigenous people, a form of “non verbal communication”. In this particular community, the blouse is adorned with a circular neckline of white lace detail and colorful embroidery of flowers and butterflies. The satin skirt is long and black.
Bienvenidos a San Cristobal de las Casas
Our lodging and neighborhood
San Cristobal de las Casas, an indigenous stronghold
The State of Chiapas ~ long a neglected and oppressed region of Mexico reached a boiling point and indigenous populations took up arms to call attention to the plight of the indigenous people of this state.
The alienation of the Chiapas indigenous communities and crushing economic hardship, led to political discontent. This discontent ultimately facilitated the emergence of an indigenous para-military force to resist control from outsiders, in this case, the Mexican government. This force became known as “the Zapatistas”. (The full history of the Zapatista movement, that ignited in 1994, is fascinating and can be explored here.)
We have now entered Zapatista territory ~ the brave, mostly female, indigenous para-military force that for decades has held the line against the Mexican state in Chiapas.
In Chiapas the locals prefer to manage their own affairs per their local customs and indigenous traditions.
While many Mexican states flourished during the Spanish Colonial period, in large part because of their mineral wealth or agricultural potential, Chiapas, far to the South and seeming to be without mineral resources, languished in poverty.
And culturally, while many of the other Mexican states witnessed the assimilation, exploitation, and cultural demise of their indigenous groups, many of Chiapas’ ethnic groups have maintained their ancient cultures, traditions and customs. In essence, the State has retained one indisputable identity. Chiapas is primarily indigenous.
Out of Chiapas’ 111 municipalities, ninety-nine have significant indigenous populations, the majority of which are Mayan-speaking groups, closely related to one another, notably Tzotzil, Tzeltal, Chol, Zoque and Tojolabal, all Mayan descendant indigenous languages.
In all, twenty-two municipalities have over 90% indigenous populations and another 36 municipalities have more than 50% of the population which is indigenous.
our neighborhood
The artisanal market
If you know us, you know we love markets. Food markets, craft markets…. And we have spent time in a multitude of memorable ones. This artisanal market here in San Cristobal ranks very high in our opinion, with regard to the quality and quantity of beautiful, authentic handwoven and embroidered textiles.
As a rule, the men are responsible for agriculture and the women for creating artisanal textiles and marketing them at various markets in Chiapas and throughout Mexico.
So what did we buy at the market in the way of textiles? The cold weather was a great excuse for a soft woolen jacket with indigenous embroidery in a modern design. And an ivory woolen poncho.
Market bites
On the perimeter of the artisanal market, there are vendors selling a variety of market foods.
And then there is the steam cart which sounds much like an old steam train engine whistle. That piercing sound heard blocks away, means plantains (bananas) and sweet potatoes are ready to be consumed. Delicious!
Plenty of fresh fruit in little colorful “old fashioned” carts.
Murals covering every inch of wall space
Nothing makes a city come more alive than art work on its walls.
Three other cities we have traveled to with incredible murals come to mind for us as being particularly memorable: Georgetown in Malaysia, Pilsen in Chicago and Yogyakarta in Indonesia.
The murals here are particularly interesting in the way that they literally cover every inch of a wall.. going around doorways and windows in a very decorative way.
San Cristobal de las Casas is also blessed with a thriving music scene. Local musicians, visiting musicians, there is live music almost every night at numerous venues and restaurants.
We fell in love with Oaxaca City at the start of our road trip, and then we fell in love with Campeche‘s colors, but for both of us San Cristobal de las Casa was the crown jewel city of our eleven week road trip. We thought about staying on for a few months. And perhaps we will one day….
Coming up in the next post, are two exciting day trips we took from San Cristobal de Las Casas.
I loved this. It brought back such great memories. We too loved San Cris.
So smart of you to get local info about the road. It would have been so disappointing to have had to go all the way back around the other way and miss San Cris.
Did you get to Chamula? Looking forward to reading about your day trips. The whole of the Yucatan, Chiapas, and Oaxaca is such a fantastic part of Mexico.
Alison glad our post brought back such great memories. San Cristobal is a very special place that is for sure. We seriously considered staying there long term but decided we would miss the beach too much. I also get cold very easily so warmer more humid weather suits me better ideally.
We did go to Chamula yes! Upcoming…
The whole region surprised us over and over again. We could easily have kept going.. but with a different, better car.
Peta
Fabulous post. You are so lucky to have been able to travel so freely and widely.
Thanks Peggy. Yes, we feel very fortunate and grateful indeed to have been able to make this epic road trip during such challenging times.
Peta
A wonderful historical & cultural journey with you, thank you both so much. Love the poncho & jacket Peta, and the photo of you with poncho and wide trousers makes me rather green with envy! Trousers also from the market? Nice to see Esco there too …
Susan glad to introduce you to San Cristobal de Las Casas. We absolutely loved our time there and could easily have stayed on.
The trousers are from Pondicherry India. Most of my clothing is acquired from places we lived in Asia and they are all my favorites. However, some of them have been worn and washed so often that they are threadbare. I had to reluctantly let some of them go… As we now do our final pack for the big next adventure I still have a few favorites coming along with me.
Esco loved the road trip. We thought he would hate it, but he proved us wrong. He was in his element.
Peta
The murals are a big surprise, so different from the ones in Oaxaca City. Remind me of Keith Haring, except so much more interesting. You got a huge reward for your on the ground research and fearlessness. Bravo!!
Sharon, yes the murals are SO different to those in Oaxaca City. Exactly right, very remindful of Keith Haring, we knew the style reminded us of someone, but could not put our finger on it… But yes, agreed, more interesting.
SO pleased we didn’t back down from going through Chiapas, it was THE highlight of our road trip! Love love loved San Cristobal de Las Casas. I think you would too.. but def chilly at night and in the morning. The second place we stayed at (not shown) had a fabulous fire place that we used every evening.
Peta
Just listened to the bebop group in the jazz club. Another amazing surprise, although it did seem to be the favorite style on Oaxaca too.
There was so much live music, that we had to take photos of the flyers that were all over town and make some tough decisions. The jazz was the most surprising, in an indigenous town. A testament to the far reach of Americas distinct musical invention.
P&B
What a joyful post! From the swerve away from fear, to the beautiful drive, to the colorful San Cristobal de las Casas and all its wares, and on to Esco’s adoring gaze, your snazzy new clothing, and as a backdrop to all of it, the art and customs of a place almost suspended in time. Your good thoughts brought good things, as they almost always do!
Lex thanks for these lovely comments and eloquent observations, your feedback brought such big smiles and chuckles as we read it. You summed it all up so well!
Yes, Esco was thriving on this road trip and seems to have really come into his own with us. He does adore Ben that is for sure. Too bad he will miss out on the next adventure, but he will be well taken care of by a good friend whom he really likes and vice versa.
We just could not accept missing out on the State of Chiapas for one thing and for another, neither of us wanted the extra hours of driving or to go back the same route. Definite believers in good karma….. 🙂
Peta
I’m so glad you decided to take the mountain road. We probably would have as well, after asking locals and people who recently drove that way. San Cristobal de las Casas is gorgeous. I remember the colonial buildings and colorful streets. Is this a popular expat city as well or am I mixing things up.
It’s always so interesting to me how you can go from hot weather to chilly air by driving into the mountains for an hour or a couple of hours. The market food looks delicious. You both gave us a fabulous glimpse of your favorite Mexican city! I hope we all get to return there one day.
Liesbet, we really are not sure if this is a popular expat city. It is definitely overall a young city. Perhaps you are thinking of Oaxaca City?
It was strange to go from hot weather to wearing jackets and sitting by a fire at night but kind of novel actually.
We too look forward to returning some day and spending more time in the area.
Peta
Thank you for introducing us to San Cristobal de Las Casas. I love that you went to the locals for information instead of letting yourself be consumed by fear. There are so many great gems and wonderful lessons in this post.
Thanks so much Donna for the lovely compliment. We were very motivated to take the “dangerous” route, as we knew this would be a great opportunity to see this mountain town we had heard so much about from friends. We also were very motivated to not add extraneous hours onto our already marathon drive.
Peta
I’m so happy that you took the road through the mountains and into San Cristobal. What a gem! Those murals are amazing. It looks like you two were the only non-indigenous people there.
Janis we did see a handful of foreigners here and there and of course there are many Mestizos, ie, Mexican descendants of Spaniard plus local blood. It was wonderful though to be in a living city that is so chockful of so many different indigenous intact groups and to see that the so called ancient Mayan civilization is very much alive and well in San Cristobal.
Peta
Oh, I am so glad you did your research and decided to venture to this part of the country. I’m with you, when in doubt ask some locals! What a wonderful “crown jewel” you found! I would not have been able to restrain myself around those gorgeous textiles. Looking forward to your next posts from this area,
Deb
Deb we have no choice but to show restraint and just buy the necessities or smaller things to give as gifts to family. We could easily have bought so much here, as the quality and variety was quite astounding. But one of the characteristics of a nomadic lifestyle is to be vigilant about accumulation of stuff.
Finally getting close to the end of these posts of this epic trip so we can be fresh and ready for our next one.
Peta
I’m so glad you didn’t listen to the internet and instead asked locals for current information. What a gem you found in San Cristobal! The culture is so rich and colorful.
We also visit outdoor markets wherever we are, but nothing compares to the exotic markets you find. Those textiles are fabulous! The pieces you bought are beautiful, but I think Ben needed a poncho, too.. 🙂 I do understand about not wanting to acquire too many things in a nomadic life…but it must be really difficult to resist when you find such unique pieces.
Peta, the photo of you standing in front of the mural is so artistic. What a life of beauty and adventure you two are living!
Thanks Laurel for your thoughtful flattering comments. We feel very fortunate to have been able to have this memorable road trip especially during these difficult times.
Like yourselves, we will search for markets wherever we are and really enjoy the food markets in the U.S. and Europe when we find them. So great to get fresh produce but also to support local farmers. This artisanal market was indeed something very special.
Ben was tempted by that wooly white vest but he had a jacket with him, so he was covered. He also feels the cold less compared to me. I think my blood is more used to tropical climates now after so many years of living in them.
Thanks re the photo in front of the mural. Credit goes to Ben of course. Choosing the photos of the murals was difficult as we had so many good ones to select from.
Peta
I would also be tempted by the beautiful textiles and knowing they’re made locally and support the community would make them even more desirable. The vibrant colours are lovely.
Yes, knowing that the money goes right back to the indigenous communities that make the textiles, without any middle man inbetween was highly motivating. Not only are the textiles beautiful, not only do they contribute revenue for the local communities, but importantly that allows the Maya culture to perpetuate.
We have seen other indigenous groups, for example in Luang Prubang Laos face “competition” from cheap Chinese copies and that was a disheartening discovery. Here in Chiapas, its authentic and original all the way. True artisanal work covering an entire value chain from sheep herders who sell the wool, to dye makers, to weavers, to vendors.
Peta & Ben
Asking the locals was a good idea, and I am glad you decided to go for it. Looks like a beautiful region, full of history and tradition. It reminds me a bit of Peru, I think it’s the colorful clothes the locals are wearing. I am sure Esco also loved this trip.
Gilda you are right, it is similar to Peru in that the local people create the most incredible textiles and clothing and have such a strong sense of design. One difference is that the Peruvian designs are generally more geometric and the Mexican ones tend towards the floral patterns. Peruvian colors we have seen (in the Sacred Valley) tend towards oranges and reds whereas these are often in the fuschia, hot pink, purple range.
We had a business years back importing ethnic furniture and home decor and we were in Peru to do sourcing. We found some incredible ceramics and tiles. Feels like another lifetime.
Peta & Ben
For me san cristobal is also at the top of Latin American travels. The art the music the Mayan culture and the mountains. Friendly people and lots of cool expats taboos. Would love to visit there again one day.
I’m so glad you two are safe and the tour was smooth. Funnily enough I was just speaking with a lifelong cyclist who was talking about the dangers of cycling alone in Mexico. And that ultimately she relied on talking to villagers at every point to check her route with them. State of stairs changes and so does the locations of dangerous activity.
Don’t know if you’ve already left but the Mayan church that a hostel employee took me to one day was the highlight.
Nice to hear from you Ella!
Totally agree. We loved the time we had here and could easily have stayed longer and look forward to returning there for more… We didn’t meet any expats, except in a small yoga class and one night at music at the table we were sharing.
The whole eleven weeks of road trip went very smoothly. The only stress we experienced was from our car which kept breaking down and was sketchy at best. Lesson learnt for next time. Especially when you consider the mountains and the windy steep roads that go through them.
Interesting. I imagine that cycling alone in pretty much any country would have its fair share of dangers. Yes, exactly right that things change and it is the people that are present that live there that are fully aware of what is or is not happening. The best resource.
Yes this trip was in December and we DID go to the Mayan church, that is up next in our final road trip blog post about our day trips from San Cristobal.
Thanks for reading us and leaving your comments. Fun to hear your voice Ella.
xoxo
Wow, what a great post. A country within a country, I’d say. Wonderful photos, as always.
Well, you’re about to embark on another phase of your Trek, I wish you buen viaje & look forward to your thoughts and images right here on your blog. I almost hope you’ll get to sleep on air mattreses, in the original spirit of Airbnb!
(btw I’m up in Amherst, Mass right now, staying with dear old friends who are themselves very widely traveled. Dick is an eminent cultural geographer, Jane also a retired college professor. Do you mind if I give them your blog address? You might well find much in common by getting in touch)
Yes Johnny, that is a good assessment “a country within a country”!
What an interesting factoid about Airbnb’s origins in the air mattress rental business. Quite the success story! Now a global organization that is revolutionizing the way we all travel. Also love the fact that they put this very large global footprint to great social impact use such as Airbnb’s initiative to house 20,000 displaced Afghans. Cool initiative and cool company.
Please, do share our blog with them and they can sign up to receive posts automatically. We would love to “meet” them. We are also on instagram @greenglobaltrek where posts are most likely more current. Enjoy Amherst and your stay. Sounds like good times with good friends.
Peta