San Juan Chamula, Mexico . people and places
Just a hop skip and a jump from Zinacantan was this charming indigenous town.
Here are some facts, I found interesting:-
San Juan (and Zincanta) are somewhat independent, private communities and are controlled autonomously and making their own rules.
They even have their own police force. Apparently if one fails to abide by the local laws even the Mexican government is unable to intervene to help
The towns have their own customs and so as to ensure they keep their customs and traditions alive they reject outsiders and change and marriage is permitted within their communities.
Inbreeding must abound, I kept my eyes peeled for individuals with 6 fingers on each hand.
The indigenous people of the State of Chiapas live within distinct communities. Each has its own language, traditions, costumes, beliefs and saints, spiritual healers, and quasi religious rituals. Over 90% of those in Chiapas are the Tzotzil people.
They sure mean business here, the sign over the archway basically reads,
"ATTENTION NOTICE BY AGREEMENT MAX SPEED 30. WHO DOES NOT RESPECT WILL BE SANCTIONED WITH $3,000.00"
"UNITED AGAINST CRIME. DETONATION OR THREAT WITH A FIREARMS IS COMPLETELY PROHIBITED.
ANYONE WHO DOES NOT RESPECT WILL BE SANCTIONED WITH $50,000"
Whilst the board to the right states
"Notice prohibiting the circulation of broken vehicles and motorcycles within the municipal capital. Anyone caught will be reported by the competent authority."
No wonder the driver parked our charabanc outside the city limits!
"BY AGREEMENT OF THE HEAD OF THE MUNICIPALITY. IT IS PROHIBITED TO THROW GARBAGE IN THIS AREA. YOU WILL BE SANCTIONED WITH $5000"
Simply a gorgeous little town, no hi rise buildings, (earthquake zone or as I would prefer to imagine a simple quiet upretentious life)
Even the taxi rank is quaint
There seemed to be one long drag through the town with lots of side streets, set ot like an American grid system
San Juan is the principal town of the Tzotzil people, it is the main religious and economic centre of their community. There are about 77,000 inhabitants living here predominantly speaking the Tzotzil language.
Lots of hustle and bustle, with stalls selling in the main, vegetables and fruit of varying degrees of freshness.
As well as the freshest chicken you will find anywhere.
You're next.....
Oh my days, BBQ spit roast turning nicely.
A lot of flower sellers, handily placed for the nearby graveyard.
Popular head wear for the men, virtually worn by every one I saw.
Now I did not expect to see a christmas emporium Ho Ho bloody HO!
A wander around the main square and market place, some wonderful people to snap.
SUPERIOR STATE COURT OF JUSTICE. COURT OF PEACE AND INDIGENOUS CONCILIATION
The traditional Tzotzil men dress in western style clothes overlaid with a poncho of animal fur, secured with a leather belt and yes the cowboy hat completes the ensemble.
The ladies tend to wear black wool skirts, a simple rectangle sewn into a cylinder shape and held up by a belt. Designed for functionality not sexual allure! The highland areas can drop to freezing point, the fabric is both warm and waterproof.
I did not see any mini skirts! The length of the skirt signifies your standing in the community. The longer the skirt, the higher the status.
For the ladies with a less "wooly" attire, would signify a much lower class. Less wool means you own fewer sheep.
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Maybe, just maybe if the gene pool was increased, over time...... well, who knows.
There be mischief in them there eyes.
To a croc wearing fella the loud calls of "hey gringo, shoe shine, shoe shine" aint gonna hit the spot.
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Awesome post! And this small town looks... like a great place for wandering and watching people. I miss this stuff so much
hi @zirochka , yes I can empathise with you not being able to travel. I really enjoyed this little town, real people just living out their existence. 2024, surely we must win this unjust war this year, and you can get back to normal ( what is normal?), and I can spend a month back in your lovely country
Slava Ukraini
What is normal? This is a good question! I don't think we can pretend that these years never happened. But I still dream about how it will be and hope for good.
It is a small town but with a lot to observe, its people keep their traditional clothing, the sale of their handicrafts is quite interesting and their fruits look quite fresh. It seems a quiet place.
cheers @noalys thanks for dropping in, it was a great place to be, a real mix , not touristic, just real people in real life
I can bet the people watching here was great. The faces you posted were interesting and I had to laugh regarding increasing the gene pool. Well their priority is keeping their tradition intact and that is admirable. I love all the rules and also the hats.
I can imagine the disappoint when the shoe shiners saw your crocs.
cheers @momogrow , my tongue was firmly in my cheek!! But yes a fantastic little town, away from the tourist spots.
Crocs, I love my crocs, a lot of folk mock them, but sheesh they are so comfy to wear, and look good scuffed lol
Love it......looks like a lovely place for vacation
cheers @readingcourage thanks for dropping in, yes just a short time here but well worth it a fantastic place to visit
!WOC
Well done on Woc, @grindle! kairke(5/8) is appreciative of the time and attention you've devoted to writing this post. Your efforts are truly valued.
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this post is awesome. Keep being you always!
cheers @losmoros thanks for dropping in, your kind words mean a lot, I shall always be me , far to fucking old to change lol
Every image is worthy of a TV show.
Congratulations.
Receive my blessings and thanks for giving us these images, from Venezuela.
cheers @emiliorios thanks for dropping in, thank you for your kind words, it really was a photogenic place to be.
Cheers from UK.
Thank you so much @grindle
👍 you're welcome
👍
This small town is very beautiful. One thing I like most is that the people in this city still maintain their original culture.
cheers @arasiko thanks for stopping by, yes it is fantastic that the culture survives and they live their lives in their own way
Oh yes, I remember visiting Chamula a loooong time ago (2006). Certainly an experience. Back then baseball caps were all the rage instead of the "northern style" ranchero hats. Otherwise things still look the same, according to your photos. The church itself is of course worth a thousand posts, except for they probably won't let you take pictures there. Since my visit I have been recommending people to go there to experience the strong indigenous culture, until a few years ago, when word got around that that little town became the center of cartel activity: Apparently they organized their own cartel, kicking out all the big families that were trying to take over. Now they control all the illicit business, with everything that entails.
cheers @stortebeker it was a magnificent place to visit, and yes didn't bother with the church when no snaps were allowed, I was totally mesmerised by the people and the atmosphere in the town. I agree in encouraging people to visit, real life real people.
So let me take the opportunity to talk about the church, which is probably as far from being Christian for a supposedly Catholic church, as I have ever seen:
Inside the pews have been removed, and the entire floor is covered in pine needles. In the front, instead of having Jesus on the cross, there is an altar to Saint John (San Juan), the patron saint of the town. But even for being the most important deity, he is by far not the only one. All around the wall there are altars lined up for various saints, virgins, prophets, and other biblical figures, including Jesus(!), to each of whom the people perform their own independent ceremonies. Candles and incenses are lit, and aguardiente or Coca Cola is blown into the air in form of blessings.
You can do an image search and probably find some photos of it, but since the locals explicitly do not like it, I'm not going to link any here.
wow, how extra ordinary, and different, I shall look for the link. cheers @stortebeker
It is a very colorful town, I didn't know that they had their own rules and that the government could not intervene, it is a very closed community, I wonder how their economy is? it must not be a very touristy place.
cheers @skiptvads , yes it is off the tourist route, a very tight and closed community, their economy is under the umbrella of Mexico
Those hats are looking really nice! Would make it an interesting souvenir to be gathered from all the places you see around the world.
hey @gabrielatravels thats an idea that passed me by, I stick to fridge magnets and skulls lol
Same here but recently started collecting patches just to move on a bit from what most of the people do, lol
Nice, idea,
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Wow, what a great photo walk through this place. My sister was in Chiapas, but in San Cristobal de las Casas. I had so much fun with your stuff...
This for example:
🤣
BTW, lots of chickens! Yay!
My sister told me that it is a bit violent there in Chiapas. A lot of drug trafficking and gangs.
Hi, thanks @nanixxx , just my weird brain in action!! I visited San Cristobal too, never felt uncomfortable at all anywhere in mexico tbh. I guess there are stories of mischief, but there always seemed to be a lot of police and civil guard about.
Hey, didn't you buy one of those hats? They look great! IMPARABLE 😁
LOl, it would have been cool at the time , I think a little crazy back home though
Small remote town run by their own rules in tradition and culture, good for them!
Relatively sizable population in-breeding should hopefully not happen too often! Would have to really know your linage before becoming too close !LOLZ
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