Estamos Aqui

San Cristobal de las Casas is an enchanting, chilly city. It seems as if no one ever rests, even when (like us!) they're relaxing with a hot chocolate or an espresso. Fireworks and church bells count the hours, vendors wander down pedestrian streets selling balloons and ladders of cotton candy, and families gather in cafes for breakfast. We've gotten a chance to savor some of the best foods so far on our trip: samosas, Argentinian steak, curry empanadas, churros, lots of red wine, and the best hummus and fallafal either of us has ever had. Cafe Museo Cafe, a cooperative, and La Luna are a couple of our favorite spots. We've had our share of Mexican, of course, and our favorite so far has been molletes (beans & cheese w/ bread). The hot chocolate, though-- delicious and spiced with cinnamon-- is almost too good to exist.

Casa de Rudy
(Nov 9 – Nov 15)

Everyone loves Rudy! He is a very chill Couchsurfer who has hosted hundreds of people. We have been lucky to crash with him for the last week. He works for a human rights organization as a lawyer and represents the concerns of indigenous women. Having to wake up at 9 a.m. for a job doesn't stop Rudy from partying seriously hard, though. I don't think he got in once before 4, and the acoustics in the house are so good that we can attest he continued partying at home long after that.

Couchsurfing is the best way I've ever travelled. We got to meet up with some other cool people— Maria Elena from Mexico & Kansas, and Karin from Lebanon. Maria Elena left soon after we arrived, but Karin has joined us for some adventures and fun.

San Juan de Chamula
(Wed, Nov 11)

Rain and cold didn't stop the three of us from jumping onto horses and riding down a mountain for an hour. Karin, Sara and I grabbed a few freaking awesome, fresh-baked croissants from El Horno Magico, owned and operated by a French ex-pat, and joined Esther in a taxi back to her house where the caballos awaited.

I don't know why, but I always get the horse that wants to be in front. Me First! was his name (though it might have originally been Sabra). Sara got Snacktime, who stopped to eat every chance he could, even chewing on a bush as we headed down a muddy slope. Karin, a first-time rider, got Naptime.

We arrived in the village of San Juan de Chamula by 10 and spent most of the time visiting the church. Photography is forbidden inside, and disrespectful tourists are fined, so we can't really provide any photos of the experience. The floor is blanketed in pine needles, the walls and tables are covered in candles, and images of saints are everywhere. We viewed a few ceremonies of healing, which included eggs being passed over a woman's body, pulses being taken, and plenty of soda and posh (homemade, bitter liquor) being consumed and sprayed over the candles.

La Revolucion
(every night)

Most of our pesos have been spent at La Revolucion, a popular bar that features live salsa music and blues. Our second night at Rudy's, Miguel drove us downtown in his punch buggy (they're everywhere: Mexico houses one of the most important VW manufacturing centers), and we stopped in for a drink. The place is usually packed, so we hung out upstairs with a few other couples (some dancing, some making out). The guys introduced us to the house specialty (beer, lemon juice, some kind of spicy sauce, salt) and Francisco, a really energetic and insistent dancer, taught us a few moves.

Our last night, a few shady guys tried to dance with Sara and I, so we moved on to Pura Vida, a hippie hangout where there was African drumming.

Esta Es Nuestra
(Thurs, Nov 12)

My favorite experience in San Cristobal (perhaps in all of Mexico, perhaps in all of Central America) was Oventic. We had of course seen cultural and artistic representations of the Zapatista movement throughout the city (even stalls at the market sell “Marcos” dolls), but we hadn't yet seen it in person. After Rudy shared the documentary entitled, “A Place Called Chiapas,” we had a better understanding of Zapatistas and decided that we wanted to go to Oventic, a primary caracole of the Zapatista movement. This trip isn't in Lonely Planet, and it's pretty clear that most tourists don't know how to get to the caracoles, so we realized we'd be taking a (small) risk heading out there. David, a professional drummer we befriended, warned us that there would be many military checkpoints and that we would most likely be denied entry, but Rudy said we could probably take a local bus or two and get in.

After a long, nauseating drive around a mountain, we arrived at Zapatista territory. Joining us, of their own accord, were Arthur (France) and Ricardo (Mexico). At the gate, the officials were masked, and they asked for passports before allowing admission.

Oventic is entirely autonomous, as are the actual Zapatista communities. They make their own food and do not rely at all on the government for any social services. This caracole is supposed to be the most organized, as it offers a secondary school, a center for worship, a restaurant, and a health clinic. The buildings are beautifully illustrated with murals of Che, Zapata, and images of Zapatistas rising out of the earth. “Everything for everyone or Nothing for Anyone” is powerful propaganda that illustrates the group's ideals.

We were directed to wait outside the office of the Junta, which receives all outsiders. There, we spoke with a few representatives of Schools for Chiapas, an American group that has been in operation since 1995, and learned about the history and current condition of the Zapatistas:

• Zapatistas are mostly indigenous Mexicans fighting for equality, education, access to healthcare, and workers' rights
• In 1994, Zapatistas (self-named for the Mexican Revolutionary Zapata) took over mutiple governmental locations throughout Chiapas
• They had been clandestinely organizing for over ten years before that (even infiltrating police and army).
• The revolution was sparked on Jan 1st, after NAFTA went into effect, jeaopardizing fair wages and altering the constitution of Mexico so that those who worked the land no longer owned it
• Shots were fired for 11 days before a truce was called
• San Cristobal de las Casas was taken without a shot, because all of the men on duty on New Years Eve were Zapatista sympathizers
• Marcos, the leader, is a masked man whose identity is unknown (though the Mexican government claims that he is a philosophy professor from the city). He smokes a pipe and has been photographed by magazines like Marie Claire
• Much of the international support gained for Zapatistas in the mid-90s occurred over the internet, which was obviously a radical form of activism during that period-- and is quite possibly the reason they were not erradicated (as one Chase Bank CEO requested in an internal memo that leaked)
• The Zapatistas are currently on oil-rich land, which the government wants back. They have set up caracoles (states) throughout the country to receive visitors and activists
• Since 2003, all of the caracoles have become demilitarized (meaning that all officials were unarmed)

The Junta officials had us enter and once again asked for identification. They seemed to be mostly concerned about governmental spies and remained masked during the entire interview. The four of us (including Arthur and Karin) sat on a bench and spoke in Spanish, which was a second language even for the officials.

I was struck by one of the men who addressed us and answered our questions. He explained that they were still fighting for basic human rights, that we could go back to our homes and explain this to our friends and family and country. He kept saying, “Estamos Aqui” and “now you know the truth.”

I was deeply impressed by the self-empowerment that occurs in Oventic. Our friend Karin compared them to Hezbollah, but it's hard to deny that the Zapatistas have a vision and a mission to raise up the most oppressed peoples in this part of the world.