December in Chiapas

It feels like we haven't written in a while. Maybe we have been too busy eating green mangoes sold street-side covered in lime, salt, and chili powder. Or possibly it could have been all the festivities running rampant through town this last week. Let's catch you up on the happenings.

Since we last wrote we hiked a local mountain named Huitepec. Huitepec comes from the Nahuatl language and means "land of the hummingbirds". Huitepec has two other peaks it shares the skyline with which the local Tzotziles have called Oxyoquet for generations. Oxyoquet is the name they give to the three stone fire pit they have customarily cooked over. Also when the sun sets it descends behind these three peaks and the sky ignites into beautiful reds, oranges, and yellows giving the metaphor a visible quality.

The hike was steep with wood steps placed into the damp fertile soil. The mountain is classified as a cloud forest environment and everything in our vicinity was slightly damp. We walked past green moss covered rocks and oak trees that supported orchids in their branches far above our heads. Like little bushes these epiphytes rely on the oak, which is why orchids and other similar plants are another addition to the harm caused by deforestation. We spent a few hours alone on this beautiful mountain and highly recommend it to anyone who would like to get a feel for the surrounding flora.
We have also been lucky enough to witness the preparation for one of Latin America's most important holidays. Two blocks from our apartment is the Temple of Guadalupe. Our faithful fans will remember us mentioning the importance of this church, but we will reiterate for anyone who might have forgotten. The story of Latin America's virgin queen begins with an indigenous man named Juan Diego who had a vision of a woman much like the Virgin Mary of Catholic belief, but this vision was of an indigenous woman who shared all the traits of the Virgin Mary. Juan Diego became the first indigenous person of the New World to become a saint. Guadalupe is now the iconic image for most Catholic believers and temples/churches erected in her honor are sites for pilgrimages. Guadalupe is celebrated on December 12th, the believed day of the original sighting by Saint Juan Diego. Nearby communities prepare for their celebrations for months and fund raise in many ways- one we encountered was a group of small children holding up a rope on a main road in and out of town. They stop passing cars and hold out a collection plate with hopes to earn extra money to contribute to their festivities. We also were approached through our window at our last apartment in October. The week prior to December 12th vendors began assembling their shops in rows up and down the street on the way to the Guadalupe Temple. Candy, fruit, empanadas, taquitos, trinkets, and ice cream are some of the products offered. Carnival games such as target shooting, marble rolling, ring toss, peso toss and others add to the excitement. Carnival rides and large stages were built to entertain the families and guests. Almost every day for a week before December 12th fireworks could be heard all day and night, even at 5:00 a.m. Not just a few firecrackers either, we're talking about jumbo sized bottle rockets with about a 3 foot stick that helps guide the rocket into the air about 200 feet. We don't know how well the fund raising for this celebration has gone, but the amount of fireworks it seems they earned a pretty peso. Cloudless mid afternoons cracked and crashed as loud as thunderstorms for extended periods of time. It was alarming at first, but we kind of miss it now that it's over. People's devotion to Guadalupe was shown on a daily basis in the form of parades. Every day there seemed to be a different group showing reverence to Guadalupe, our favorite had to have been the "taxistas" which were all the taxi drivers with balloons tied to their cars, pictures of Guadalupe mounted on their hoods, honking all the way past our apartment to the Temple of Guadalupe.

There are also groups of individuals of all ages called Antorchas that travel from far away villages, even as far as the neighboring state of Oaxaca, on foot to the Temple of Guadalupe. Some of the travelers are barefoot and their clothing has been tattered from the journey. They carry with them a burning torch and call out sayings giving respect to Guadalupe. We witnessed a group of Antorchas entering the Temple of Guadalupe on their knees and proceeded to make their way to the altar in that fashion.

The beauty of this holiday is that is not restricted to unfettered reverence to their virgin queen, but it is a great time to meet with friends, listen to music, dance, and have fun. We rode carnival rides, played carnival games, watched live bands, street marimba players, and filled ourselves with empanadas, churros, and taquitos having a great time. We also noticed that all the children were dressed as miniature representatives for each region's indigenous culture. Little girls held their mother's hands as they strolled while wearing brightly colored floral patterns with colors of green, blue, and purple from Zinacantan. Little boys were dressed in other typical male garb of local groups and most even had a moustache painted on their face. It was a very lively time and we enjoyed every minute of it.
Since then we have still been involved with the local organizations working on projects involving permaculture. We have also been enjoying the city more and more. We are making good friends around town and Faith is always commenting on her new experience. For instance, the other night around midnight she said, "Shh! Can't you hear that? There's two roosters out there cock-a-doodle-doo-ing each other." Good times.

We are also preparing for our epic adventure that will take us from our base here in San Cristobal to the ruins of Palenque, Yaxchilan, Bonampak and into the Lacandon Jungle where we will be staying in the Lacanja village. We will then be crossing into Guatemala and Honduras, expect some great entries if we find internet cafes along the way.