Land and Liberty
Day: 26
Day light was just breaking as our bus pulled out of Chiapas’ state capital, Tuxtla Guitteriz. I awoke as we left the bus station and as soon as we exited the city limits we began a steep climb into the highlands of Chiapas. Palm trees turned into pine trees and a low mist hung over the surrounding mountains. An absolutely magical morning, the scenery was stunning and seeing all this at dawn was an incredible introduction to Chiapas.
Our bus pulled into San Cristobal just before 6am and as we stepped out both Jordana and I were surprised by the very cool air. We could see our breath, coming from the 35 degree heat of the coast this was a shock but a pleasant change. We walked through the cool deserted streets and found a great small hotel with a rooftop to chill out on. At 220 pesos a night, including breakfast it was easily the cheapest of our stays so far. San Cristobal is a beautiful colonial city with a strong arts and travellers scene. For a traveller it’s a great city to stop and hang out in for a while, a good mix of locals and foreigners at bars and restaurants. We headed out today to walk and explore the city.
The city has always been known on the tourist circuit but it gained international attention on January 1st 1994 when leftist indigenous rebels, the Zapatistas took control of the city. Symbolically on the day NAFTA came into effect. Interesting and kinda funny, on that day Subcomandante Marcos, their leader, apologised to tourists. Saying, “we apologize…but this is a revolution”. They wore balaclavas to symbolise that the natives have become invisible to the Mexican government and their goal was to bring attention to the fight for native rights in Chiapas, where one in four citizens are native Mayan. A state rich in natural resources but the poorest in Mexico and lowest literacy rate. “Land and liberty” is one of their slogans.
Today all over town you still see their presence. From documentaries of their struggle, to graffiti, to balaclava wearing Zapatista dolls. In the markets you can buy writings from their leader Subcomandante Marcos, they even have their own shop that distributes information and sells coffee. I found it a bit odd to see all this so openly being displayed since the movement was not always peaceful and the Mexican government has been far from compromising. Whatever your thoughts are about their movement there is no doubt they have been very successful in bringing attention to some serious injustices in Mexico. They have even established some autonomous regions north of the city, the federal government just sorta ignores this all and hopes it will all fade away one day. That wasn’t always the case. In the ’90’s several villages were terrorized by paramilitary forces.
I can’t help but think that such an organized group of natives in Canada might at least bring the necessary attention to their own injustices. Of all the Zapatista things I saw most puzzling to me is the tourists proudly walking around with Zapatista t-shirts. Whether you support them or not I don’t think as a tourist you should be making/wearing any political statements. This is a serious ongoing struggle and there are some people who are strongly against the Zapatistas, as a tourist I say save the trendy political statements for the safety of your homeland. We finished off the day with a great meal at one of the city fabulous restaurants and slept well under 2 wool blankets. With culture, great food, perfect climate and a strong revolutionary spirit I could tell I was going to like this town.
Tags: Mexico
Michael Coroneos
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