We loiter in front of the cathedral where the attendant pointed. We're accosted by more sellers, they look familiar, they tried us yesterday. We're still not sure we're in the right place or if this tour is going to happen when a gentleman approaches us and hands us a pamphlet promoting a culturally responsible tour. We recognize the tour guide's name on it. Si, si, we are waiting for you!! He says come back at 9.30am. We do, and we are off along with another lady, an Argentinian named Luciana. Just the three of us.
The guide, Ceaser, has given us a brief on where we'll be going; two different villages, Chamula and Zinacantan, and what we'll be seeing. He warns us there will be times when we are not allowed to take photos. The Mayan villagers are superstitious about the 'evil eye' of the camera, and most definitely we are not to take pictures of any of the rituals we may witness on the tour. Or any of the village leaders. However, he adds, i am going to take you into the home of some natives and they are fine with you to takes some photos. All good, we are more than happy to comply. In fact we feel incredibly privileged to be welcomed to these villages. Unlike an American tourist Ceaser tells us about, who sneakily filmed a ritual from waist height, and then posted it on YouTube saying it was an exorcism. Ceaser, although maintaining tolerance of all peoples, obviously has little time or respect for Americans primarily and understandably because they have no respect for these villagers beliefs and cultures. They want to change them, believing their religions; Jehovahs witness, Pentecostal, Mormons etc are the only ones. Fancy that. Our guide believes ignorance is the biggest enemy these people face and this is why he runs these tours. I am enthralled, everything he tells us is fascinating and I soon realize I'm not going to remember half it so like a nerd I ask if I can take notes.
There are many things I remember without the notes though, because they resonated with me. Like their natural therapies, the way their women give birth, their belief that children with autism benefit from swimming with Dolphins and riding horses, they have a belief in chiropractors, herbs - Ceaser plucks one from the bush in front of us and rubs it between his fingers, this one he says giving us a sniff, is for digestion. Ah, just what I need! Organically grown veges, and most of all, their thing about negative energies being responsible for illness. I've long held that theory. They believe everything has a soul. And when trauma strikes that soul goes away. Or when negativity strikes, that soul goes away. Even when babies experience a fright, for example from one of the many loud fireworks they use in their rituals, it's soul goes away and to scoop it back, they perform this rocking, swooping action low to the ground of where the incident occurred. And a more heavy duty approach for adults who suffer a trauma, say a broken leg, (such accidents are usually a punishment) a shaman will use a chicken to pray for that persons spirit to return and consequently their return to health and wellbeing. They wring a chicken's neck until it is dead. Then they run the dead chicken over the victim's body. then they boil it. the victim eats the chicken's head and then the chickens bones are buried at the place where the accident occurred. Fascinating, I can't say that's my method for getting rid of negative energies. I'm more into mentally shedding them from my life. I guess as I am really ye of little, or any, faith in any religion I'm a believer in our minds having the power to overcome such adversities. And as our guide Ceaser says, the Mayans are not knocking down anyone's doors to convert them to their way of thinking. They don't judge the westerners who visit their village. They accept that the tattooed and pierced young travelers or the lipsticked and scantily dressed women have their own cultures.
I hope I am recounting what I learned with accuracy, I mean no disrespect if I haven't got it quite right, there was so much to take in.
We learnt that the villages are not governed by the Mexican government. They have their own police and justice system. Their jail is right in the centre of their market area. Its very small, there is very little crime. Men sent to jail are exposed to the public in this busy market place, women are not. If a man is put in jail for beating his wife he would serve one day, maybe three. If he reoffends he would do one year community service. Third time, he is expelled from the community, never to return. Ceaser tells us that most of the mayans selling in San Cristobal are villagers who have been expelled or who have left.
These villages do not comply with the daylight saving the rest of Mexico does, believing no-one has the power to change the time (hear hear, it has never sat well with me that 'we' want to change nature - just another example of mans desire to conquer all). in fact, they have done a dam good job of resisting any changes to their culture at all. They are an impressive strong people. That is until we come to Coca Cola...
Ceaser takes us into one of their cathedrals, where we can take a pic from outside...
We walk inside and I am just blown away. Scattered all over the floor are pine needles, the smell is divine. There is so much activity. Small groups cluster together to fill the cathedral. Groups of candles are burning on the floor everywhere. The numbers and colour of candles is very significant. 3 and 13 particularly significant. All along one wall in glass cases, like mannequins in a store, are their saints. Every other day there are different rituals, sometimes many different rituals. outside, and all through our visit, we can hear fireworks going off. These are a part of their rituals. Also there are offerings to their saints; plants, flowers, eggs, corn and wait for it, Coca Cola. Yes, Coca Cola, and not just Coca Cola, there is Fanta and other coloured drinks. These drinks apparently have gained as much kudos with the saints as the naturally colored corns (black, red, green and yellow) of old. All over the village we have seen crates both full of coke and full of empties. The colors of the corn is also represented in the candles the shaman use when they are doing their prayers. For example if they burn a red, a yellow and a black candle they are praying for justice. And all different combinations and numbers represent different things they might be praying for like; rain, good crops etc etc.
Caesar invites us to walk through the groups and observe what's going on but we already feel way too intrusive, so we just watch from the distance. We know Ceaser has these people's approval to be here with us so we feel more comfortable and respectful alongside him.
I wish I could remember the significance of everything we were told, but there was so much to take in. I'm sure Caeser could have spent days with us and we'd still be enthralled. And There is still so much more in my notebook too.
Like the saint for getting girls boyfriends, as they believe until you are married you are incomplete. (If the saint fails the girl, she punishes him by hanging him upside down in the fridge! hehe, a sense of humor too).
And the bit about diagnosing medical conditions with an egg. Quite a process I can tell you about sometime if you want to hear.
And the fact their last mayor was non-indigenous; voted in by the villagers.
And one of the things I loved most about these people; they believe no-one owns the land. And no-one is better than anyone else or wrong or right in what they believe.
But really, I must wrap up this long blog, I could go on forever. This was easily the best most exciting day of my trip.
Oh, one last thing, they believe burping also expels negativity.
Buuurrrrrrp,
Scuse ;)
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