Chiapas: land of the Maya. Today I want to take you on a trip to a very special part of Mexico the state of Chiapas.

Transcription

1 Chiapas: land of the Maya. Today I want to take you on a trip to a very special part of Mexico the state of Chiapas. 1

2 I have travelled through 22 of Mexico s 31 states, and the federal district of Mexico City. I believe I can say without qualification that Chiapas is the most beautiful state in the entire country. It is also the poorest. 2

3 The diversity of Chiapas has to be experienced diverse landscapes, from tropical rainforests 3

4 To spectacular mountains, 4

5 volcanoes, 5

6 Turquoise lakes, Deep canyons and coastal beaches, colourful indigenous mountain villages and colonial churches 6

7 And Mayan ruins rising from the steamy jungle foliage There is diversity also in climate hot arid areas, extremely humid jungle regions, cool, sometimes chilly, mountain air. I recall one february morning listening on my computer to CBC Calgary when the temperature in Calgary was higher than in San Cristóbal de las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico. And there is human diversity. A significant proportion of the 5 million population of Chiapas is indigenous, descendants of the great Mayan city-states that controlled large parts of southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Honduras. There is also diversity in the origin of foreign tourists one encounters in Chiapas. Americans are numerous. But one also meets many Europeans, Australians, Mexicans and other Latin Americans and Asians -- tourists with a strong interest in the Maya, and the social, political and environmental challenges they confront today. 7

8 There are currently 8 linguistic groups of Maya indians in Chiapas, numbering over one million in total. The largest are the Tzeltals (numbering about 500,000) and Tzotzils (about 225,000). They maintain their indigenous languages. Some do not even speak Spanish. And as you will see in my slides, the usually colourful dress varies, not only with the group, but also with the village. I hope you will see that, although their once great city-states are now ruins, the Maya people endure and are very much a live civilization today, albeit, an impoverished one. 8

9 It s time to get our geographic bearings. You see that Chiapas is the most southern state of Mexico with a long border with Guatemala 9

10 A more detailed map of the state, showing its borders with 3 other Mexican states Oaxaca, Veracruz and Tabasco. We will visit the mountain villages of san Juan Chamula, Zinacantán, Mitontic and Tenejapa, the Mayan site of Chinkultic, the Lagos de Montebello and the Guatemalan border. We will see the great Mayan city of Palenque, and travel down the Usumacinta river to the Mayan ruins of Vaxchilán and to nearby Bonampak and its remarkable frescoes. Finally we will visit a coffee plantation near the Tzeltal highland village of Cancuc. 10

11 Of course, the ancient Mayan civilization was not confined to Chiapas, although two of the six must-see Maya sites are in the state Palenque and Vaxchilán. Ruins of Mayan city-states are found in the Mexican states of Vucatan, Quintanaroo, Campeche, and Tabasco (where the Olmecs had established an even older civilization). Also in Guatemela and at Copan in Honduras. (Tikal, Piedras Negras, Calakmul). The Maya traded goods internally. Also with the Zapotec at Monte Alban in Oaxaca and the indigenous people in Teotihuacán near present-day Mexico city. 11

12 12

13 It s a city of attractive colonial churches: this is the cathedral of San Cristóbal built between the 17th and 20th centuries 13

14 The church of Santa Lucĺa in the barrio of Sta Lucĺa 14

15 The Dominican church of Santo Domingo in an architectural style described as Chiapanecan baroque, dating from the 17th century, the church has an impressive interior as well 15

16 16

17 Part of the austere, but beautiful, cloister of Santo Domingo 17

18 The church of the barrio of la Merced 18

19 Church of the barrio of Quadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico. While the majority of residents of San Cristóbal are catholic, the proportion of evangelical and Mormon believers are increasing. 19

20 The Real de Quadalupe, a major business street in San Cristóbal 20

21 The city also has vibrant pedestrian streets 21

22 22

23 a typical street scene in the city 23

24 Every year on January 6, the three kings parade into the Zócalo the central square of San Cristóbal with their presents for the children. 24

25 and there are many street markets. 25

26 26

27 as you may have noticed, the streets of San Cristóbal consist of painted walls with doors that are usually kept shut. This raises the common question; what is behind the walls? Here is one shut door. What do you imagine is back there? 27

28 well here it is! The beautiful home and garden of an American woman living in San Cristóbal 28

29 and here is a peek-a-boo door 29

30 here is another interior view from behind the walls. But you could also find a car repair shop or a barnyard 30

31 31

32 an indigenous woman with a young child crossing a square. 32

33 a very eclectic group of people on the cathedral steps 33

34 two women setting up at an outdoor market. 34

35 a young couple enjoying a meal at a restaurant 35

36 this is a wrought iron roof cross, a popular decorative item in San Cristóbal. While their origins are religious, they are also seen as a form of folk art with several different designs. 36

37 A word about crosses. When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in Mexico, they were surprised to see crosses already in use in this newly- discovered land. Not realizing that the cross is a widely used symbol in many cultures, they thought that other Christian missionaries must have been here before them. The wooden Mayan cross which you see here is a prominent symbol in Chiapas, even in catholic churches in indigenous communities. (wonderful book by American Virginia Ann Guess Spirit of Chiapas ) 37

38 38

39 one of the most important collections of iron crosses is found here in the museum and hotel, Na Bolom, which means house of the jaguar. But Na Bolom is much more than a collection of iron crosses. It was the home of Hans Blom, a Danish geologist and archaeologist, who helped with early excavations at Palenque, and his wife Gertrude Duby, a German Swiss journalist and photographer. 39

40 together they created an important library, collections of Mayan ethnographic items and formed a non-profit organization for the protection of the Lacandón Maya, and the preservation of their rain forest habitat. Their work has continued since her death in 1993, 30 years after his passing. 40

41 here they entertained guests from around the world, including such well-known individuals as French president Mitterrand, Henry Kissinger and Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. Na Bolom is the most famous museum among many in San Cristobal. Most of them are small, but interesting. 41

42 Now we are going to descend some 1500 meters to see one of the spectacular sights of Chiapas the Sumidero canyon on the Grivalva river near the state capital, Tuxtla Qutierrez. The canyon is symbolic of Chiapas and is featured on the state coat of arms 42

43 43

44 We soon see that there are other creatures on the banks of the river 44

45 And we all secretly pray that the boat does not overturn 45

46 the vultures are waiting no doubt, with different hopes and prayers. 46

47 We stop in the town of Chiapa de Corzo, one of the oldest settlements in the Americas, dating from around 1200 BCE, well before the Maya. It is believed that the original settlers were related to the Olmec's whose urban centres are based in the nearby state of Tabasco. This fountain, known as la Pila was built in 1562 in a very unique Moorish style. 47

48 near la Pila is the Pochota kapok tree, around which the Hispanic city is said to have been founded. 48

49 We are now going to visit three indigenous, Tzotzil towns in the mountains just north of San Cristobal. The first is Zinacantán. This is the town s church, which you would recognize as a catholic church, although some Mayan practices, symbols and beliefs have been incorporated into the liturgy. 49

50 The purple and blue dress is distinctive to the people of the town whose origin is recognizable wherever you see them even in the large supermarkets of San Cristobal 50

51 Generally they don t object to having their pictures taken. 51

52 This was taken in a Zinacantán home. The woman is preparing tortillas for the small tourist group. 52

53 He was our tour guide. Here he is introducing us to pox (posh, spelled p-o-x) a strong Chiapanecan sugar cane liqueur. liqueur is really too refined a term to describe this drink, which is widely used in ceremonies (which seem to occur frequently), where it shares honours with the king of all drinks in Chiapas coca cola! Pox is drinkable, although the quality seems to be quite variable. In the mountain villages, it is usually found in unmarked plastic containers. 53

54 But it can be purchased in bottles in wine and liquor stores in Chiapas. 54

55 A woman in another home in Zinacantán weaving traditional textile objects. 55

56 Three generations of women in a Zinacantán home 56

57 Now it s off to the second Tzotzil town, san Juan Chamula, only 3 kilometers away, but with very different cultural traditions. The town has a semi-autonomous status unique in Mexico, and its own police force. 57

58 It is in this church that the visitor really experiences the special character of the san Juan Chamula. Taking photographs inside it is absolutely forbidden, so I have to describe what goes on. To say the least, it is bizarre, but interesting. Instead of pews or chairs, we find fresh pine boughs covering the floor with lighted candles burning a copal resin everywhere. (not sure that this meets the fire regulations. There probably aren t any). The light is dim, in part because of the smoke. Along the walls are statues of the Christian saints, which are carefully maintained by trusted members of the community. Some of the cases housing the statues have blinking coloured Christmas tree lights and tinkley music playing tunes like here comes Santa Claus. The statues of the saints may suggest that this is a Christian church. But the prevailing mood is distinctly pagan. Through the dim light we see healing ceremonies taking place in small groups throughout the church. Patients come to see a shaman, known as a Curandero to get a cure. The shaman will usually take the pulse of the patient and offer a cure which may include Coca-Cola (burping is good), selling and lighting a particular candle. The ceremonies may even include the sacrifice of a live chicken. I don t doubt that the healing ceremonies are helpful to some. But modern medicine, 58

59 it is not. And it is vey sad to see as I did on one occasion - a patient a baby near death and in urgent need of serious medical treatment while the mother paid what to her must have been be a very large sum to the shaman for I m sure was a futile cure. This is not to criticize the standards of medical care in México generally, or Chiapas specifically. I once had occasion to call a doctor regarding a minor ailment. The doctor actually made a house call, spoke good English (his son was a Mexican diplomat in Ottawa), prescribed a few tests which were done quickly, and some effective medications. 58

60 but i also submitted myself once to a Curandera at a Mayan centre in San Cristóbal. 59

61 A colourful street of people in San Juan Chamula. 60

62 61

63 Women heading home from the market in san Juan Chamula 62

64 Mitontic is the third mountain village. It had been recommended by an Argentinian couple some American friends and i had met the week before. The couple, on a trip from the tip of Argentina to Alaska, had met with the president/mayor of Mitontic and said that he had been very helpful to them. So off we went, a week later. What we didn t realize is that we were going there on a day celebrating carnival or Mardi Gras, as you may know it. 63

65 and in our station wagon with Missouri plates, we were in the Mardi Gras parade! Just behind the band! We seemed to be getting more attention from the people along the street than the colourful band. 64

66 the parade led us to the church where we parked, as the band went inside for a religious service. 65

67 we took that time to observe the spectacular mountain scenery, 66

68 to admire the people and their colourful dress. And to visit el Presidente del Pueblo the mayor. A crowd of bystanders joined to show us the way to his residence and accompany us. We noticed that some of our new friends had two-way radios (this was before i-phones), and were already in contact with el Presidente to warn him that a couple of gringos were approaching to meet with him. His greeting was very warm. He welcomed us to the town and hoped we would enjoy our stay, also explaining, in Spanish, that we were free to take photos of anything or anyone we wished. His message was also reported back to the crowd outside the church by the same 2-way radios. So everyone knew that we were welcome visitors, 67

69 soon the band re-emerged from the church to march around a table of Coca-Cola cases topped by a large plastic jug of pox. The music they played was very repetitious. But their costumes were certainly colourful 68

70 another road out of San Cristóbal de las Casas takes us to the Tzeltal-speaking village of Tenejapa 69

71 and the nearby Mayan Romerillo cemetery 70

72 The highland countryside here has a special beauty, in the midst of which we get a surprising view of this chapel 71

73 Known as la Quinta, it was built in the 18th century as a rest centre for the bishops of Chiapas. 72

74 but alongside the beauty - 73

75 we also see the poverty of the present-day descendants of the great Mayan citystates. 74

76 heading south along the old royal highway towards Guatemala we pass through the Tzeltal town of Amatenango del Valle, famous for its hand-made pottery, fired in open-air wood-burning kilns, using techniques dating back to pre-hispanic times. 75

77 we pass through the attractive small city of Comitán 76

78 77

79 some 55 kilometers beyond Comitán, lies the relatively unexplored and undeveloped Mayan site of Chinkultik, which dates from the classic period between 600 and 900 BCE. 78

80 Chinkultic also marks the beginning of the Lagos de Montebello national park, a series of beautiful turquoise lakes strung out just north of the Guatemelan border 79

81 80

82 81

83 welcome to Guatemela! 82

84 Now it is time to board a bus for the 6-hour trip from San Cristóbal to the great Mayan site of Palenque in the wet lowlands in the northeast of the state. First class inter-city buses are a great way to travel in Mexico inexpensive, comfortable and safe (although the twisting mountain roads can be a bit scary). The trip includes a half-hour stop in the city of Ocosingo, near which there is another important Mayan ruin, known as Toniná. 83

85 Palenque is an amazing site, not to be missed! The American anthropologist & writer, Michael Coe, states that two to four days are required to see the site. I can say that one day is not enough, but also that my visit (with a guide) was a good starter. Palenque is smaller than Tikal in Guatemala or Copan in Honduras, but it is said to be the most beautiful site. The ruins at Palenque date back to between 226 to 799 BCE. Civilization here peaked in the 7th century under the reign of the king Pakal the Great from 615 to 683. He restored and expanded Palenque after the sack of the city by Calakmul in 611. This is the temple of the inscriptions containing the tomb of Pakal. 84

86 This is the royal palace the largest building on the site, with its prominent four-storey observation tower. 85

87 The palace is the central complex in Palenque. Enlarged and remodelled several times during Pakal s reign, it was the centre of the bureaucracy, and was used for ceremonial and ritualistic events. 86

88 Within the palace are many sculptures and bas-relief carvings, and architectural innovations such as a-shaped corbel arching and a mansard-like roof. 87

89 This is the temple of the sun, one of a series of temples built on a step pyramid structure 88

90 This is one of the many exhibits in the Palenque site museum. Probably king Pakal. The decline of Palenque began after 711 when the king was captured and the city sacked by invaders from Toniná. For 10 years there was no king. Ultimately, a new king from another dynasty was chosen. This family ruled till the end of the 8th century. But the political system began to fail as the ruling class in Palenque and in other Mayan city-states was unable to cope with the effects of growing populations, failing agricultural production, and the costs of inter-city warfare. 89

91 Not far from Palenque are the beautiful Misolja falls and Agua Azul. 90

92 91

93 92

94 93

95 Children selling fruit at Agua Azul 94

96 The rain forest in the rain 95

97 Tour group gathering for the boat ride along the Usumacinta river, separating Mexico and Guatemala, to Vaxchilán 96

98 97

99 Yaxchilán is a magical site, although smaller than Palenque. It had been a major power in the Usumacinta valley. The history of Vaxchilán goes back to at least 359 ad, but it reached its zenith in the late classic period, particularly during the 8th century rule of king Bird Jaguar IV between 752 and 768 BCE. Yaxchilán had a long rivalry with Piedras Negras on the Guatemalan side of the river, also with Tikal. It fought with Palenque in 654. We enter the site through a Mayan stone labyrinth, which probably has some connection with the Mayan underworld. (thankfully we had a guide). We emerged onto the rich green, grassy grand plaza (slide 99) in a tropical jungle, the only sounds being the loud cries of howler monkeys in the canopy of tall Ceiba and Gum trees. It really feels like we have been taken back in time more than a thousand years. 98

100 99

101 100

102 The grand acropolis at Vaxchilán 101

103 The site includes many wonderfully carved stone stele and lintels. Some are strategically located on the site, others are preserved in museums in Mexico and around the world. 102

104 We move on to nearby Bonampak (accessible by road) located in the Lacandón rain forest, and a dependency of Vaxchilán. It is famous for its frescoes painted in 790. (slide 104) their discovery by Giles Heaely in 1946 is considered to be one of the most important ever made in the Mayan area. Professor Mary Miller of Yale university wrote: "perhaps no single artifact from the ancient new world offers as complex a view of pre-hispanic society as do the Bonampak paintings. No other work features so many Maya engaged in the life of the court and rendered in such great detail, making the Bonampak murals an unparalleled resource for understanding ancient society." 103

105 104

106 From the rain forest of the Lacandón, we return to the mountains - to the market of the Tzeltal village of Cancuc (slide 106) en route to a coffee plantation 105

107 106

108 Our guide is a young Tzeltal man, Estaban Lopez Gomez, who was an advisor to the state governor. Chiapas is the largest coffee producing and exporting state in Mexico. The only route to his family plantation, located in a deep valley, is a 3 km. footpath. No road. No electricity. This is a not a grand finca (estate) it is a small 3.5 hectare plot. 107

109 On the path we meet other valley residents. I asked if I could photograph her. 108

110 Estaban checks his Arabica coffee plants 109

111 In the dirt floor kitchen, Estaban s mother Rosa is preparing tortillas. Estaban and I have a cup of coffee with our tortillas and discuss Chiapas politics, the Zapatistas, and his work with the state government on behalf of some 500 coffee farmers in this valley who desperately need a road and electricity. 110

112 Neighbours and relatives, sort and pack their coffee beans into 50 kg bags which must be carried back up the hill to the road. We meet more neighbours coming down with groceries and, of course, Coca-Cola. 111

113 112

114 A final look at the Chiapas highland landscape 113

115 I hope I have been able to show you something about the Maya of the past and the present. 114