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San Crsitobal de Las Casas (MEXICO)
Be a guest to a house in a Mexican village in San Crsitobal de Las Casas in Mexico
Zinacantan, a typical warm authentic village just lying west of San Cristobal del las Casas in the Chiapas Highlands is an unforgettable location that must be seen and experienced due to its colourful mixed culture and rituals. The name “Zinacantan” is derived from the language of the Aztecs and most surprisingly means “place of bats” as the aboriginal deity Zinacantecos was a stone bat.
However, as warm and hospitable as it may seem at first glance, very particular to this vilage, is that visitors should respect the local traditions and customs and be especially sensitive when taking photographs. Villagers can be unfriendly and are wary of tourists - understandably they do not appreciate being regarded as tourist attractions. In fact, entering the village itself as a foreigner is an ordeal by itself because you have to be first accepted by a “village comittee of elders” who make an evaluation of you being fit to visit the village or not.
The major income of the Zinacantans and fellow villages in the region is weaving. Weaving has become a traditional occupation in Zinacantan and life dwells upon the beautiful garments woven and displayed in the various colorful religious rituals of this Mayan – Catholic mix culture.
The Zinacantan religion is a fascinating mixture of Catholic
and traditional Mayan rituals and their main attraction is the church
on the plaza where, every Sunday, the village comes alive with streams
of villagers, men in loose homespun white woollen ponchos and women in
embroidered finery, who pour down the hills into the candle lit, incense-filled
church, and then congregate together for the weekly market.
The typical dress of the Zinacantán villagers is a red and white striped poncho decorated with tassels and a flat, round hat decorated with ribbons. Geranium is a revered plant that is used in ritual offerings and the countryside is dotted with crosses and offerings dedicated to their ancestor gods or the Earth Lord.
So... to really become a Zinacantan and participate in a memorable ritual, we decided (better said, we were asked to) dress in a traditional Zinacantan woven garment and become one of them.
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