Palenque, photo by Roberta Christie
On Tuesday night January 31, I will be on the ADO-GL overnight bus to San Cristobal de las Casas, set to arrive mid-morning on Wednesday, February 1. This is at least a 12-hour bus trip, and I’ll be traveling with Fay, a Canadian woman from an island off the coast of Vancouver. Since this is my first trip to Chiapas, my friend Roberta shared her photos of what I might expect.
I also rely on recommendations from friend Sheri Brautigam and her terrific website Living Textiles of Mexico for advice. Sheri is passionate about the huipiles and other textiles of Chiapas and I want to experience some of what she has discovered there. I’ve spent some time in Guatemala, have a few pieces I’ve collected, and attended related exhibitions at the Museo Textil de Oaxaca. So, I’m familiar with the type of brocade weaving on back strap looms that brings Chiapas recognition as one of the great textile centers of the world.
First, some bus ticket buying advice for foreigners (that’s people like me who don’t have a Mexican bank-issued credit card). 1) Find a Mexican friend with a credit card to buy your ticket online and then pay him/her back. 2) Go in advance, in-person to the bus station (4-7 days before you want to go) and buy your ticket with a U.S. bank-issued credit card or cash.
From Oaxaca to SCDLC you have three options for class of service.
1) OCC (452 pesos one-way) leaves daily, is a first class bus with one toilet and can accommodate 44 passengers. Seats do not fully recline.
2) ADO-GL (542 pesos, one-way) leaves several times a week, has 40 seats and two toilets, for women and men.
3) ADO Platino (726 pesos) is the highest level of service with 25 seats that fully recline, internet service, electrical outlets for PDAs/computers at each seat, and two toilets. According to the schedule, it gets there faster, too. ADO Platino is only in service Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from Oaxaca city to San Cristobal de las Casas.
In my “freedom” mode, I bought a one-way ticket. My plan is to also see two major Mayan archeological sites: first, Palenque and then Bonampak, where there are incredible murals, located near the Guatemala border. I don’t really need to get back to Oaxaca until mid-February. So, stay tuned for the next adventures!
Bonampak mural, courtesy of Roberta Christie
I traveled to the Yucatan to visit Chichen Itza and Uxmal in the early 1970’s along rough, pot-holed dirt roads. The sites were spectacular. It was a real treat to climb to the top of the pyramids and look out across the jungle. My son, who recently went to Chichen Itza, says this is no longer possible. Then, my dream was to get to all the major sites: Tikal, Palenque and Copan. In the 90’s I climbed to the top of the highest Tikal temple on a hand-over-hand ladder attached vertically to the side of the building — two days in a row! I loved it there. Now, I’m getting closer to the early dream.
Like this:
Like Loading...
San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas: First Impressions
San Cristobal de las Casas is a compact, walkable mountain town filled with energy, cafes that seat 10 or 15 people at most, coffee and wine bars, and villagers from indigenous pueblos selling crafts in markets, street corners and along the foot-traffic-only promenades that criss-cross the center. Textile cooperatives abound and the city attracts an international artist-counterculture community of creatives.
The textiles here are extraordinary and I have spent the first two days exploring, looking, discerning the different quality in handcrafts and weaving. In the days to come, I’ll write about our visit to Na Bolom and highlight the visit we had with Sergio Castro in his private textile museum near the zocalo. Nearby organic coffee farms, locally owned and operated, offer a rich, tasty brew.
First impressions can always be a little dangerous because I have a tendency to jump to conclusions, especially after a long overnight bus ride with very little sleep. This town is growing on me. It is very different from Oaxaca which is an elegant, colonial city with wide thoroughfares and distinguished cuisine. San Cristobal seems like an outpost in comparison. It reminds me of Beijing hutongs — narrow winding streets, clay tiled roofs covering steep pitched roofs, weathered wood and adobe structures, ancient wood doors and windows kept shut with hand-forged metal. But, it is full of hidden treasures.
There is character here. And, it is an international crossroads between Guatemala and Mexico. San Cristobal attracts backpackers, artists, spiritual seekers and textile mavens. We have also come across university professors from the U.S. who research the indigenous languages, culture, social and political systems. It is rich, especially because of centuries-old resistance to oppressive government. Take your choice: Aztecs, Spaniards, and more contemporary varieties. Subcomandante Marcos and the Zapatistas are revered here and have a presence in the city with an indigenous handcraft gallery. Every textile shop and street vendor sells a version of a Zapatista cloth doll with black hat and face mask.
The climate now is very chilly nights and mild, partly cloudy days that make it easy to sit at a sidewalk cafe during the day and snuggle up next to a fire next to the restaurant table at night.
It’s 8:45 a.m. and time for breakfast, so I will write more, catch as catch can.
Like this:
6 Comments
Posted in Cultural Commentary, Textiles, Tapestries & Weaving, Travel & Tourism
Tagged blogsherpa, Chiapas, culture, Mexico, Oaxaca, San Cristobal de las Casas, textiles