San Cristobel and the poor chickens

We ate a really yummy breakfast which was included as part of our stay, omelets and pancakes with lots of fruit. We then signed up to a tour and after a quick coffee headed on a bus to two towns just outside San Cristobel, Zinacantán and Chamula which had a high indigenous population and poverty. The main industry seemed to be growing flowers and textiles. At Zinacantán we saw the church which had been damaged by the earthquakes, we walked around town a bit and visited a textile shop. Most of the things didn’t look too great. We tried some of the local drink Poche which tasted just like alcohol. At Chamula we visited the main church where the floor was decorated with pine leaves and there were candles flickering inside glasses or on the floor. The flower decorations were beautiful and there were groups of families sitting, praying, drinking and sacrificing hens to take the disease from the sick away. It was a quite disturbing to see chickens having their necks broken in the church as part of the sacrifice. There was a small market outside which we had a look at before heading back to San Cristobel. We stopped for a coffee and then walked to the main market for lunch. I had some yummy tacos of beef, chicken and pork for only $21 pesos or $1.45 AUD. We walked around the stores and saw lots of tassels and pom-poms. I brought a beautiful ring from a local artist which I just love. We headed back, collected our washing and went out for some more shopping. I brought a top and Zoe bought shoes and then we stopped at the Spanish tapas bar. We had a massive serve of guacamole with chips and olives. Back at the hostel we packed and had free unlimited mojitos!Read more